World Calling
by WordxKarma
Summary: Seto Kousuke lived a normal life... Until he happened across Marry, a fin-less mermaid stranded on the beach. With no way for Marry to get back home, Seto and his siblings take her in, and they learn just how hard it is to teach her about the human world. (Kagerou Project AU- SetoMarry fan fiction)
1. Prologue

It was a beautiful day, and a good one for Seto Kousuke. His sister, Kido, had made a wonderful breakfast, work went great, and now he was strolling along the beach while the sun was setting, the smell of salt water rising into the air.

Oh yes, it was wonderful.

"I wish everyday was like this," he said out loud, walking on the wet sand. It was times like this- when the sky was painted in oranges and purples, and the beach was deserted- that made him happy. That's not to say that when he's with his siblings he isn't happy- his family makes him even happier!- but on days where a lot of his part time jobs take place, it's really nice to take a break from everything- specifically, Kano.

"Hnnng..."

Seto looked up, and about 20 feet away, he saw a young girl with a bunch of whitish blonde hair lying face down in the sand.

"Ah! Miss, are you alright?"

In no time at all the 17 year old was by her side, and the girl groaned again, not even moving. Worried, Seto gently pushed her onto her back to see if she was alright when a small gasp escaped his lips.

For a moment, he thought that the girl had no clothes on whatsoever, but after his eyes adjusted, he realized she was, at least, wearing a pale pink bikini top. His eyes traveled downwards, and yet another gasp escaped his lips.

For, where two human legs should have been, were a pair of pearly pink mermaid fins.

"W-what...?"

Rubbing his eyes, Seto blinked once, then twice, expecting them to turn into regular human legs. _Summer illusions_, he thought, but no matter what he did, they remained the same.

"Hnm..."

The girl stirred a bit, but remained unconscious, and Seto's mind raced.

_This is impossible_, he thought, _but I can't just leave her here!_

"M-miss, are you alright?"

The girl flinched, before slowly opening her eyes. "Wha...?"

Before Seto could say anything else, slowly, as if it was all just a summer illusion the whole time, a snapping noise could be heard while the scales on the girl's tail fell off, and it split into two, regular legs, and a bikini bottom the same color as her top appearing.

Upon hearing the noise, the girl slowly sat up, and looked at her now-finless legs, her mouth dropping into a round 'o'. By now, most of the scales were gone, save for a few that seemed stuck into the girl's skin. "My..."

The girl trailed off, obviously confused. Wiggling her toes, she didn't notice that there was a boy by her until he cleared his throat.

"U-uwah!"

She flung herself to the ground, hiding beneath her hair, and Seto sighed. He was confused as well, though he was sure that he was at least taking it well.

"A-are you alright?"

The girl peeked up at him, her bright pink eyes staring at him curiously. ". . . ."

They both were silent for a moment, and after Seto thought she wasn't going to speak, he decided to speak again.

"I'm Kousuke, but just call me Seto."

". . . ."

Sighing at the girl's silence, he stayed crouching down next to her. "We-"

"I'm Marry... Kozakura."

It was so quiet that he almost missed it, but luckily he stopped talking right when she started, so he caught it.

"Marry, huh?" The girl nodded hesitantly, before pushing herself back up in a sitting position. "Do you need help?"

He didn't really know what to say. What _do_ you say to a stranger than strange girl that you found on the beach? 'Hello, do you need a place to stay?'

Even in his head that sounded stupid and creepy, especially since they had just met.

Luckily, he was saved the task of talking when she opened her mouth again. "What are these?"

He looked down to where she was pointing at her two legs, and he sighed again. He would try to help this girl to the best of his ability, but how could he when he himself didn't really understand what was going on?

"Those are legs..."

Marry was quiet a moment, looking at the two lower limbs as she wiggled her toes. After a moment, she scrunched up her face again. "Where... Are my fins?"

Seto couldn't answer her. He didn't know how to answer her without accidentally freaking the girl out, so instead, he asked _her_ a question.

"Marry, what are you?"

"A mermaid!"

She didn't hesitate at all to say it as she beamed up at him, and he nodded, slowly understanding the situation. It was obvious now that Marry was, in fact, a real mermaid, and somehow, her fins had disappeared. As if to make things worse, he didn't know if she was going to get her fins back or where she could even go.

"A mermaid, huh..."

While he tossed thoughts around in his head, he didn't notice the small girl try to stand up. It was only until she had stood up all of the way and then started to wobble that he started paying attention. "Whoa, careful there!"

He caught the girl before she could fall, and she looked up at him, frowning. "I-I-I'm sorry!" she said, and he sighed.

By now it was night time, and he couldn't just leave the girl alone, so he shook his head and smiled at her. "No, it's alright," he told Marry, before looking at the dark ocean. "Marry, I'm unsure of what's going on, but do you want to stay at my house for the night? And we could get you home tomorrow morning?"

Marry's face turned from curious to gloomy at the mention of home, and she looked away from the ocean. "A-ah, yes... But... Can I stay a bit longer? I can't... exactly go home. Not now."

Instead of questioning it- and oh, did Seto have a lot of questions- he just nodded and ruffled her hair.

"Sure!"

He started to walk, holding her hand to make sure she wouldn't fall again, but in about thirty seconds it showed that she really did _not_ know how to move her two legs without falling.

"I don't know how to move about in these 'legs'," she murmured, frowning.

Turning around, Seto crouched down a bit with his back to Marry. "I'll carry you."

Clumsily, Marry wrapped her arms around Seto's neck and just dangled there, unsure of what to do. Thankful that his jobs had given him the strength though, he easily lifted her on his back the rest of the way and stood up straight. "Alright, now let's go home!"

As he started to walk, he could feel her slowly relax on his back, and before he knew it, she was asleep and he was opening the door to the apartment house he shared with his two siblings.

_Maybe, in the end, though, it was only a dream..._

If only it was.


	2. Chapter 1

"You've got to be kidding. I don't believe you!" A boyish, but feminine, voice whispered fiercely.

Seto shook his head at the girl. "No, I'm telling the truth, she really is a mermaid!"

"Kidooo~ He's telling the truth, she still has some scales on her legs~!"

"Shut up!"

The girl- Kido- whacked the other boy on his head, forgetting momentarily to whisper.

"Hnnnmm..."

The three siblings fell silent as they all watched the girl move around in her sleep, before going still again.

"Listen," Kido said, her voice falling back into a whisper, "if she is a mermaid, it wasn't safe to bring her here. Did you ask her what happened, yet?"

"Well... No," Seto admitted, but upon the look his sister was giving him, he quickly added on, "but I was going to!"

"I think Seto was correct in helping a _damsel in distre-_"

_Smack!_

The other boy, Kano, fell to the ground as Kido glared at him with her fist still in the air.

"When she wakes up, we can ask," Seto told Kido, "but for now let's leave her be. She's sleeping."

"S-Seto?"

The three (Kano having stood back up) looked toward Marry, who was now sitting up in the spare bed that she was placed in last night.

"Ah, Marry... You're awake."

"What's going on?"

"Well-"

"Is it true you're a mermaid?" Kano interrupted, looking interested, and Kido hit him on the head again.

"Shut up, idiot."

"I..."

Seto sighed, seeing how Marry was at a loss.

It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

"Momo, this is Marry. Marry, this is Momo."

A girl with short orange hair in a side ponytail smiled brightly at the smaller, whitish-blonde girl.

"Hi Marry! I'm Momo! Oh, and Kido texted me asking to bring some clothes, so... Here!"

Momo thrusted a plastic shopping back towards Marry, who took it and peered inside the bag. "...'Clothes'?"

Marry, who was still in her bikini from the night before, stared at the garments strangely.

"Aha, yes! Uhm, you wear them, like this!"

Momo pulled the fabric of her pink hoodie out as if to prove her point.

Kido sighed, taking Marry by the arm and gently pulling her back into the spare room. Before Momo had come over, Kido had taught Marry how to walk. Although she could walk though, the girl was extremely clumsy, and had already tripped and broken one vase within the hour that she had been awake.

After closing the door, Kido had turned around to see Marry unsuccessfully trying to pull on a blue dress that had a white apron attached to it.

_I really need to ask Momo about her style..._ Kido thought, going over to help the girl pull the dress on.

"Marry," Kido said, getting the girl's attention. "Are you sure you want to wear this?"

Marry furiously nodded as Kido helped her put it on, not paying attention to the green haired girl's sigh.

_Oh well... I guess it can't be helped._

* * *

A few moments later, with Marry in her new dress and everybody situated in the living room, Kido decided to start questioning the girl.

"Marry, can you tell us exactly what happened? How you got here?"

Marry nodded, looking down and fiddling with her apron. "I... My grandma runs the kingdom from where I'm from. My mother disappeared a while ago, and although my grandma is in perfect health, she wants to resign from the throne. Except... I'm the only heir, and I can't inherit the throne without a king..."

Everybody listened intently, as Marry continued, her voice staying quiet throughout the whole conversation.

"But I didn't want to wed, so my grandma tried setting me up with a guy who she deemed as "good" for the throne, but... He had a different plan in mind. He was going to take control of the kingdom, and my grandma couldn't see that..."

Before she could continue on, Momo interrupted her. "Marry, how... _old_ are you?"

"14."

"How old is this guy?"

Marry was silent for a moment before looking up at Momo, her face gloomy. "19..."

Momo started to splutter, and the other three looked fairly surprised as well. "Did you try to tell your grandma? Or is that why you ran away?"

Marry's eyes widened. "I-I didn't run away!"

"Oh, were you just planning on taking a vacation without telling anybody?" Kano joked, but after seeing the look on Marry's face (and the scary one on Kido's), he quickly shut up.

"Then what _did_ happen, Marry?" Seto gently asked the girl.

"Well... I found out about his plans and w-went to confront him. At first he tried pretending that he didn't know what I was talking about, and I-I guess I should have stopped, but I didn't, and... He snapped. He t-told me that if I joined him we could rule the kingdom together, but I didn't want to... That's when I swam away. I don't know how far I swam, but I got caught by a current and was knocked out by a rock, and next thing you know, I wake up with _these_," she said, swinging her legs up.

Until the end of her story, everyone else had actually forgotten that she was a mermaid, and now that she had mentioned the part of her growing legs, everybody had grown silent.

"Marry, do you know what happened to your fins?"

Marry mutely shook her head.

"Do you know how to turn back?"

Again, she shook her head.

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Kido spoke up. "Well, Marry... You can stay here until we can find a way to get back," but Marry shook her head 'no'.

"I don't want to go back! Not yet, anyways..."

Sighing, Kido nodded. "Alright. You can stay."

"Th-thank you!" Marry said, her eyes shining brightly. "Oh, and by the way... What _are_ you guys?"


	3. Chapter 2

It's now been a week since Marry had started living with Seto Kousuke, and boy, has the week been a doozy. Unfamiliar with practically everything in the human world, Marry had all sorts of questions. Just yesterday she had to have an exasperated Kido explain to her the importance of baths and hygiene (both unfamiliar concepts with Marry), and Kano wasn't helping in anyway. Before Marry had hopped into the shower, Kano had fed her the lie that when turned on, the shower head turned into a dragon that would spew hot water at her, and that since it wasn't use to Marry, it would burn her. Naturally, Marry got terrified (and she didn't even _know_ what a dragon was!), and had to have Kido console her.

On the brighter side for the 14 year old girl, though, Marry was very happy with her new life nonetheless. It was definitely new- so many things to learn!- and confusing, but she had made friends and hadn't even thought once about the problems at home. Since she met Momo, she had also met Hibiya, a usually cynical and angry 12 year old, Hiyori, a popular and very cheerful 12 year old (with whom Hibiya was obsessed with), Momo's older brother Shintaro, a NEET, and Takane, a girl who she has only seen in a weird box thing because she's always busy with her part time job at a gaming station. Also, she was learning all sorts of things about this new world!

"Seto?" Marry asked timidly as Seto and Kano talked about something- a vacation? she wasn't paying attention. "C-can I go to town with you today?"

Seto was in a pickle. On one hand, he wanted to show her all of the stuff they had in the human world, and plus, she hasn't really left the house since her arrival. On the other hand, although not big, it was a Saturday afternoon. The town was bustling this time of day. He didn't want to lose her or have her get overwhelmed. And then there was all of the questions he would have to prepare for!

One look at the albino's face though made him decide his answer.

"Of course!"

Marry beamed up at Seto. "Thank you!"

Overhearing the conversation, Kido walked into the living room. "If you're taking her to the marketplace, make sure to buy groceries. We're running low, and Haruka and Takane are coming over to visit next weekend- so we'll need more."

Marry didn't know who Haruka was, but if she was a friend of Takane's, she was a friend of Marry's!

"I'll keep that in mind," Seto said, putting on his tennis shoes. Marry- who was wearing the same blue dress Momo got her- had slipped on some brown boots Momo had lent her earlier. Although it seemed weird- especially to Kido!-, the two garments matched well. Anyways, nobody was going to tell Marry that normal people didn't wear boots and dresses together. "You ready to go?"

Marry nodded fervently. She was definitely nervous, but still excited.

As the pair left the house, Marry pointed excitedly at multiple things- car, vendors, people with weird hats-, asking Seto questions about them. Seto, not wanting to let her down, made sure to explain everything to her. If she was going to be living in their world for a bit, she might as well know about it.

"Oh, that?" Seto asked as Marry pointed at some store mannequins on display. "Those are mannequins, they aren't real-"

Cutting him off, Marry squealed as she pointed at a vendor who was selling hair accessories, including flowers, ribbons, and pins. "Oh, Seto, can I have one?"

Pulling out some pocket change, Seto walked with her over to the stand.

Picking up a salmon-pink hair ribbon, Marry smiled fondly, remembering something from the past. "When I was little, I use to tie my hair up with a something of the same color I had found in a shipwreck... I always wore it, but I guess it got lost when I was knocked out," she said ruefully, the problems at home flashing through her mind for a moment. Putting a hand on her shoulder gently, the brown eyed boy smiled down at Marry.

"Do you want me to buy you one? It's called a ribbon," Seto said, and Marry brightened up, nodding her head up and down.

"Please!"

Handing the vendor a dollar bill, Seto took the ribbon and fixed it into her hair, tying it in a bow to the left. "How is that?"

Instead of saying anything, Marry beamed happily up at the taller boy, before looking at another store that was giving out cupcake samples.

"Oh! Can I try one?"

* * *

By the end of the day, the two came home holding a bunch of bags, and although Seto looked a bit tired, Marry looked as happy as ever, since she had learned so many new things. What would her grandma say back at home?

"Dinner just got done," Kido said, peeking her head out of the kitchen. "Welcome back."

Kano, sporting an ice pack on a blackened eye, grinned at the two. "What happened?" Seto asked, although he had a feeling that it had something to do with Kido.

"I told Kido I liked her flat chest more than Momo's la- oof!"

Kido, who had walked into the room, hit him on the head with a frying pan, a vicious glare painted on her features. "Shut _up_," she hissed, before looking at Seto and Marry. "You two can just set the bags down for now. The table is already set, so let's eat," she said, walking back to the dining room where the meal she had cooked was on the table.

"Um, Kido, why are there only three places?"

Kido looked at the spots, then to Seto, Marry, and Kano. "Kano can get his own plate."


	4. Chapter 3

After dinner (in which Kano had to eat in the kitchen, because Kido wouldn't let him sit at the table), as Seto got up to was the dishes, Kido decided to talk to Marry about her home to hopefully have more insight on the situation.

"So Marry," Kido started, unsure of where to start. Momo and Seto were _much_ better than this stuff than she was- or even Haruka! Momo and Haruka weren't there, and Seto was washing dishes and already had enough on his plate (no pun intended), so it was up to her. She _was_ the leader of the Mekakushi Dan, the gang her and her friends were in. Might as well act like one.

Marry, on the other hand, looked at the green haired girl, oblivious to Kido's awkwardness. "Yes?"

Kido sighed. She might as well get it over with. "Can you tell me more about your home?" she asked, ready to see Marry's face drop or to hear the albino girl say 'no'. However, Marry's response was _not_ what she expected- she nodded excitedly.

"Oh, yes! It's all the way in the sea, near the bottom. It's beautiful there, and the sand is so soft! The kingdom there is ruled by my grandmother, Azami, and a bit outside the kingdom is the ship graveyard, where a bunch of ships have sunk. I used to go there a lot and explore," she said, smiling slightly at some memories that resurfaced. "Most people there were kind to me and each other, and everybody got along just fine. My grandmother is a great ruler, and before my mother disappeared, she was as well. We've never had any rebellions, or uprisings, or any sort of conflict. It was so peaceful..."

Marry trailed off, frowning. Oh, how she missed the ocean. The feel of the gentle current when she was swimming, the golden sand that glittered, and the assortment of seashells and strange objects from ships that she used to collect. She missed her home, and most of all, she missed her grandmother and mother.

"I wish I could go back..." she murmured, looking down, and Kido sighed. She hadn't meant to upset Marry, and now she didn't know if she should continue her questioning or not. However, she still wanted to know somethings, and she knew Marry probably was just homesick. Kido didn't blame her- the poor girl was in a strange land filled with strangers and too many things that she didn't understand! It was understandable that Marry was homesick.

"I have one more question," Kido slowly said, knowing this was going to be a touchy topic. Marry looked back at Kido but didn't say anything, waiting for her to go on, in which Kido did. "Can you tell me more about the guy that your grandma tried to Marry you to?"

Marry shook her head, frowning once again. "I'm sorry, but is it alright if we don't talk about him now? I can tell you later, but right now..."

Again, Marry trailed off, but this time it was in discomfort. She disliked the guy in question, and truth be told, he terrified her a bit- no, she didn't want to think about him now, or ever. However, she knew that sooner or later she would have to fill Kido in on everything. For now, it was going to be later rather than sooner.

Kido nodded, not surprised by this answer. "I understand, take all the time you need," she said, before standing up from the table. "I'm heading to bed early- tomorrow we're having two guests come over," she said, and Marry's look of gloom changed to one of curiosity. "You've already met one of them, but Takane and another friend, Haruka, are coming over here for a couple days. We're all going on vacation," she explained, smiling slightly. In particular, Kido and Seto had planned this vacation especially for Marry, knowing she would enjoy it, but for now they were keeping it a surprise.

"A vacation?" Marry asked, tilting her head. "Who's coming with us?"

Kido made a quick list in her head, checking the people off as she said them. "You, me, Seto, Kano, Momo, Hibiya, Takane, Haruka, and Shintaro," she said, going over that list once to make sure it was right. "Hiyori was supposed to come as well, but she had prior plans with some of her friends," she explained.

Marry nodded, a slight smile growing. "I haven't had a vacation in a loooong time," she said, spreading her arms out wide to emphasize her words. "Although, I guess right now, in a sense, I _am_ on vacation, right?"

Kido chuckled, walking by Marry and ruffling her hair. "I guess you are," she said, heading to her room. "We're leaving tomorrow, and don't worry- Momo's got your bag packed."

Marry nodded and stood up as well, not asking why Momo had packed her bag. She trusted them enough to not ask any questions about stuff like that, and anyways, Momo always had cute things for Marry.

Quickly peeping her head in the kitchen, Marry waved at Seto. "Thank you for today!" she said, smiling brightly at him, and Seto nodded, smiling as well.

"No problem, Marry! I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said, still washing the dishes.

Marry nodded happily and went to the guest room (after telling Kano 'good night' as well) to change in her pajamas. Once that was all done, she sighed and sat by the window, looking up at the stars.

"Grandmother... I know you're probably worried sick about me right now," Marry started, her voice almost inaudible, "but I'm doing fine. I'm somewhere above the sea and on the shore. I don't know how, but my fins have disappeared- I _am_ alright, though. I've made some new friends here who are very kind to me and take care of me, and I am very happy to have met them. I don't know when my fins will grow back, if they do at all, but when everything is fixed and _he's_ gone, I'll come back, I promise. I just can't stand being there right now, especially with _him_ around, always watching my every move. I don't know if you have noticed his true nature yet, but I hope you do soon, and I hope you stay safe."

Marry finished, sighing and closing her eyes. _I wish upon these stars that, somehow, somewhere, my grandmother _will _get this message_.

* * *

**Before I pass out from exhaustion, I just want to say that I honestly never planned on publishing this on here (especially since, to be honest, I don't ship SetoMarry), but after talking to a friend about this particular fanfiction, I decided to give it a go. I'm still relatively new to this website, so I'm sorry if the formatting seems off. I'll try to fix any issues, and Chapters 4 and 5 will be out soon!**


	5. Chapter 4

Somewhere, deep under the sea, a mermaid with long black hair tied up in a red ribbon was scowling at the situation that had arisen.

"Just give up. You're not going to find her," she told another guy, who had short black hair and yellow eyes that reminded her of a snake. He used to be somebody she trusted, a royal adviser, but after the disappearance of her granddaughter, the merman had taken over the kingdom and imprisoned the mermaid with black hair.

The merman scowled back at the girl with black hair, swimming about the room impatiently. "You don't know what I'm capable of, _Azami_. I _will_ find her, and I already have a lead." The merman sneered at Azami, and her red eyes narrowed behind the bars she was stuck behind.

"Oh? If you have a lead, then enlighten me, Kuroha. Tell me where my granddaughter is."

Kuroha smirked, stopping and crossing his arms as he looked at Azami. Although she was the grandmother of the person he was looking for, she looked to be the same age as him. He knew it was because of her queenly blood that she wasn't aging, but it still irked him to no end, especially because she still had that condescending look in her eyes.

"I know you tried to keep her from finding about the human world, but I know that's where she ended up. I had people search all over the oceans from top to bottom, and she wasn't found," he said, raking his hand through his hair. "What's even better was the direction she was last seen going in had a strong current that led to the shores of a place not to far from here, and it's possible that she accidentally turned human without realizing it, leaving her stranded in that world. You may have wanted to keep her safe from there, but because of her ignorance and inexperience, it'll be easier to find her."

Azami glared at him as Kuroha cackled, grinning psychotically. "You won't find her. The human world is too big for you to search it all, and she isn't completely naive," she replied, and Kuroha swam up to the front of Azami's small cell.

"You underestimate me, _your majesty_," he said, his voice mocking as he used her old title. "She's the princess. I'll find her eventually, and when I do, you both will be imprisoned for life, and _I_ will rule this worthless kingdom."

Without another word, the yellow-eyed merman swam out of the small room, leaving Azami to sit and contemplate about what happened.

"God damn it!" she exclaimed, after a couple of moments, frustration etching into her face. "I should have listened to Marry when she told me her suspicions of that wretched snake... I just hope she's alright," she said to herself, getting up and swimming back and forth inside of the small prison cell. "If only Shion was still alive... although, she would just be imprisoned, with me. I must escape and protect my kingdom. I must _not_ let Kuroha find Marry."

* * *

Marry looked up at the two newcomers, although, in a sense, she had already known one of them.

"I thought Haruka was a girl," she said as Kido introduced her to them. However, the new person in front of her was not a girl, but a tall boy with messy black hair, a carefree smile, and a mole on his cheek. The other girl Marry did know, although this was her first time meeting her in person- it was Takane, the girl in the box.

"Nope, I'm as much as a guy as Shintaro is!" Haruka said happily, and Takane rolled her eyes.

Marry glanced at Shintaro, who was sitting on the couch and doing something on his new phone. Marry had broken his old one out of excitement, and then Seto had to explain to her what phones were. She was surprised he could get it by this morning, though! The human world sure was fast!

"Well," Kido said, doing a quick head check, "everybody's here now. We might as well head to the beach and check into the hotel Kisaragi got us," she said, referring to Momo. Marry never got why some people were called by their last names, but she wasn't going to complain.

"I'll drive," Shintaro offered, happy that they didn't have to at least take the bus, and as they all walked outside, their bags already loaded, Marry stopped, staring at the giant red van in distaste. She's only been in a car one other time, and she most definitely didn't like it.

_Oh well..._ she thought irritably. _Hopefully it'll be a quick ride._

* * *

Marry stumbled out of the van, tired and ornery from the long car trip. She was squished between Kano and Seto, the former whom kept teasing her, and she did _not_ like cars. She was hoping that this time the ride would be more bearable, but Kano made sure that _that_ wasn't possible (even if he didn't mean to). It had been a long day, and she just wanted to eat and then go to sleep.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Seto asked Marry, looking down and noticing how exhausted she looked. However, Marry looked back up at Seto, nodding.

"Yeah! I missed the ocean," she admitted, closing her eyes and sighing lightly as a few memories resurfaced from her childhood. Seto chuckled.

"I bet. This beach is a lot nicer than the one you washed up on as well. We didn't think you'd want to be so close to your home..." he trailed off, unsure of how Marry would react, but she brightened up, all signs of crankiness disappearing. He continued, "It was Momo's idea. She said this place was really nice anyways, so hopefully you'll have fun!"

Marry smiled happily up at Seto, swinging her arms back and forth as they walked with the rest of the group. "Thank you, then! I can't wait!"

Momo, overhearing the conversation, grinned back at the albino. "That's good to hear! We can all go to the beach tomorrow, but for now we should all just settle in. They have a really nice hot spring and bathhouse here!"

Although Marry didn't really know what a bathhouse was, she smiled back at the orange-haired girl nonetheless. "It sounds fun!" she replied, and Momo grinned, hooking her arm underneath Marry's.

"It is! Now, for our rooms~! The girls get one, and the boys get the other, so we'll see you at dinner guys! Bye!" With that said, Momo dragged Marry to their room, Kido and Takane following them quickly as they separated.

Oh, this weekend was most definitely going to be fun.


	6. Chapter 5

The room that Momo, Marry, Kido, and Takane were sharing was definitely big, and Marry smiled happily as she looked out the window. Luckily, their room was facing the ocean, and Marry felt a pang of homesickness when she looked out at the blue waves that were currently calm. Momo walked up beside her, smiling softly as well.

"You really miss it there, don't you?" she asked, and Marry nodded, her smile dimming a bit. There was no point in hiding the fact that she missed her home- if she had the choice, she wouldn't have even swam away. Thinking back on it now, Marry felt as if she could have stood up to the man her grandmother had tried wedding her with, but instead she had ended up swimming off, getting knocked out in the process and landing herself in an unfamiliar world.

Momo ruffled Marry's hair, still smiling. "Don't worry, everything will work out, I promise!"

Marry didn't say anything and instead continued looking out at the ocean, sighing wistfully. Momo, not satisfied with Marry's lack of response, grinned.

"Here, let's go to the indoor hot spring! It's nice there, and I think you'll love it," she said, and Kido walked towards them as well.

"You guys can go without me. I'm going to set up our futon beds," she said, and Momo let out a whine.

"Danchou, come with us! Please!"

Seeing the look on Momo's face, Kido's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Fine," she said, "but only for a little bit."

The four girls, after grabbing some towels, made their way to the hot springs, not even bothering to tell the others. Anyways, since there was separate ones for the boys and girls, it wouldn't have mattered anyways.

"We're here," Momo declared, ushering Marry inside the changing room. Kido and Takane followed, and Marry stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Basically," Momo started to explain, "you get undressed, wrap the towel around you, and when you get to the hot spring, you take the towel off and get in. Also, we'll need to wrap a towel around your hair, since it's really long."

Although she found it quite awkward, Marry did just that, clumsily wrapping the towel around her as Momo wrapped her hair up (the best she could). "Is it like taking a bath?" she asked, and Takane nodded, answering.

"Yeah, except you don't use soap and shampoo in hot springs."

Marry let out a small "oh" and nodded, smiling. "I like baths!"

Kido chuckled, but didn't say anything as they all left the changing rooms and approached the large hot spring.

Without a second thought or no sense of modesty, Momo dropped her towel and ran and jumped into the middle of the hot spring. Luckily, nobody else was there, but Kido still chided Momo when she resurfaced.

"You shouldn't do that. You could have slipped or hurt yourself!" she scolded, and Momo shrugged, her palms facing up.

"But I didn't, so I'm perfectly fine now!"

Takane shook her head at their antics, getting into the hot spring as well and leaning against a large rock that was sanded down to have a smooth surface. "Ah… This feels good."

Kido and Marry followed suit, although Marry was a bit hesitant on getting in the hot spring. The water was a greenish, which was a bit weird (to her, anyways), and steam hung thickly in the air, making it hard to see.

"Why is the water green?" Marry asked, dipping a foot in to see if it was too hot. Although it was- there was a reason steam was rising off of it- it wasn't hot to the point of scalding.

"There's minerals in it to help rejuvenate the skin," Kido told her, quickly getting in and sinking low so nobody would see anything. Marry slid in as well, sighing happily.

"It's so nice here!"

Momo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it is! I can't wait to go to the beach tomorrow, though! We can play volleyball and swim and even play suikawari!"

Marry scrunched up her nose at the unfamiliar term. Although Momo and Seto have explained to Marry about the different sports such as volleyball and tennis, she was unfamiliar with the last word. "Suika…wari?" Marry asked, tilting her head. "What's that?"

"Well," Momo said slowly, as if looking for the right words, "suikawari is watermelon splitting! You lay out a watermelon on a piece of plastic, and then each person gets blindfolded and has to try to crack open the watermelon with a large wooden stick. Afterwards, we all eat the watermelon! You've tried watermelon before, right?"

Marry nodded, smiling. "Yeah! It's really good!" she exclaimed, and Momo nodded.

"Yeah! I know!"

For a few moments it was silent, and Marry sat happily with Kido, Momo, and Takane, cherishing the peaceful moment.

"Alright," Kido said after a couple more minutes, "we should probably get out now. We still have to have dinner with the others," she explained, and Momo puffed out her cheeks, getting ready to protest. However, Takane was on Kido's side.

"Kido's right. Anyways, we can come back tomorrow," she said, and Momo sighed in defeat.

"We weren't even here for 30 minutes," she grumbled, getting out of the hot spring and wrapping the towel around herself, before trudging to the changing rooms. Marry stayed where she was.

"You promise we'll come back tomorrow?" she asked, and Kido nodded, knowing that Momo would probably kill them if they didn't.

Satisfied with this answer, Marry got up as well, going to the changing rooms to get dressed.

Once the four of them were dressed, they went back to their room.

"Our room and the boys' room is connected, so we can eat together," Kido said, walking into their room and to a side wall, where Marry noticed there was actually a side door there. After knocking three times, Kido opened the door.

"Oh, Kido!" a voice called out, and Marry scrunched her nose up, trying to match the voice to a name. Haruka?

Kido crossed her arms, looking into the other room, and Marry walked over as well. "You guys ready to eat?" she asked, and a chorus of "yeah!"s were shouted from everybody, causing Marry to wince at the loud noise. Kido, however, was unfazed, and just shifted her weight to her left food impatiently. "Then hurry up so I can have food sent up here."

However, everyone else had different dinner ideas.

"I think we should order pizza!"

"Can we get take out?"

"We should eat out!"

A bunch of requests started to pile up, and Kido couldn't help but groan at the onslaught of dinner suggestions. Rubbing her temples, she glared at everyone, effectively shutting them up.

"Fine. I'll order a cheese pizza or two. Are you guys happy?" she asked, and although a few people made noises of disappointment (mainly Kano), everyone else seemed to be satisfied with pizza for dinner.

After about 30 minutes of waiting, and setting up a table in the boys' room, the pizza arrived, and everyone started to dig in.

"So, what are tomorrow's plans?" Haruka asked, attempting to make conversations, and everyone shrugged.

"Well, I want to play volleyball and suikawari," Momo said, already on her third piece of pizza, "and I would also want to go into the hot spring again."

Kano nodded. "Yeah, yeah, Seto and I bought a big watermelon for the splitting!" he exclaimed a bit too loudly, and Kido elbowed him in the side hard, causing him to choke on his pizza.

And so the dinner continued with idle chatter, everybody joking around and having a good time before Marry realized something. They all talked about swimming, but they didn't have any fins!

"How do you guys swim without fins or a tail?" Marry asked suddenly, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. She never questioned it until now, but her mermaid tail was what helped propel her everywhere!

Seto laughed at Marry's question. "You can swim with legs, as well! I'll have to show you how to swim, tomorrow," he said, and Marry smiled happily. She loved spending time with Seto, and it definitely made her happy to know he was going to willingly spend time with her!

"Thank you, Seto!" she said, not noticing the light pink that appeared on Seto's cheeks.

"Y-yeah, no problem, Marry," he replied, looking away. Marry, however, didn't notice the strangeness in his behavior and went back to eating, once again absorbed in the dinnertime conversations for the rest of the night.


	7. Chapter 6

The next morning, everybody woke up early to go to the beach, excited for the fun-filled day that was ahead of them.

"Momo, what's this?" Marry asked curiously, holding up a light pink one piece bathing suit. It was definitely cute, what with the tiny frilly straps and how it had a tiny skirt on the bottom, along with a bow on the chest and on the back of where her neck would be, but Marry didn't understand what it _was_.

"It's a bathing suit," Momo explained patiently, smiling. "You wear it to go swimming and to play on the beach!"

Marry let out a small 'oh', before nodding. "Alright," she said. "I'll go put it on now, then!"

Running to the bathroom, Marry quickly got changed into the bathing suit, and when she exited, Momo helped tie her hair up in her pink ribbon to make sure it wouldn't get in her eyes.

Once everybody was done getting ready and packing their purses and day bags, the group of teens made their way down to the beach, making sure to put on lots of sunscreen (much to Kido's and Seto's insistence) before they started playing.

"Everyone wants to play volleyball first," Seto told Marry when she excitedly ran towards the ocean. "Can I teach you to swim later?"

Marry, of course, nodded, smiling happily. At least she was at the beach!

"I'd rather not play volleyball though, so can I collect seashells and watch you guys?" she asked, and Seto nodded, ruffling her hair.

"Of course!"

Seto jogged over to Kano and Momo to help them set up the nets, and Marry watched, along with Shintaro, as they all picked teams, getting ready to play. Abandoning her search for seashells, Marry sat down on the hot sand and instead opted to watch them play. Even though she wasn't involved, it was definitely fun to see them all compete against each other, laughing and bantering playfully (besides the times Kido hit Kano in the back of the head with the volleyball). Part of Marry wished she could join the others in playing volleyball as well, but she was still clumsy with her legs. Anyways, she was too scared to speak up, and didn't really understand all of the rules to this game.

She remembered, back when she was younger and played with her friends near the ship graveyard, they all had a game slightly similar to this. They would look for a round object somewhere in one of the ships, and bounce it to each other, trying to keep it from touching the sand. They didn't have teams, or points, and the only rule was to keep it floating, but nonetheless volleyball reminded her of a much more intense version of the childhood game. Another memory that resurfaced was that one of her 'friends' was the guy her grandmother tried wedding her to. At the time, he was always nice, albeit formal (no matter the settings). He always called her 'princess' or 'your majesty',and it had always bothered her, but back then, he was polite.

It was only until much later that Marry had realized that her 'polite' childhood friend was volatile and dangerous, having insidious plans in store once he married Marry and took the throne. Maybe he _was_ kind at one point, but as Marry looked back now, there was always that spark of annoyance he had with her. A spark of impatience, maybe, or that smile that was sickly sweet, like he was hiding something evil.

It sickened her to think that her one, true 'friend' was the reason she was in hiding. It sickened her to think that she was in danger because of him.

Wrapped up in her thoughts, Marry didn't see the flying white ball until it was too late, hitting her straight in the face.

She toppled backwards, her eyes tearing up as her forehead turned red from where the ball smacked her. It wasn't too hard, for somebody had just hit the ball in the wrong way and it went backwards instead of forwards, but nonetheless it hurt.

"Marry! Are you alright?"

Takane- she must have been the one who messed up the hit- ran to Marry with the others, concern written all over her face. Wincing, Marry just nodded, covering her forehead with her hand.

"Y-yeah. I'm sorry, I was out of it and didn't see the ball flying towards me," she told everyone, smiling sheepishly. Kido sighed, gently moving Marry's hand to look at her forehead.

"Ah... it might bruise, but you should be fine," she said, and Marry nodded. She wasn't really too worried about it, anyways. The pain was already starting to fade away, and although her head throbbed a bit from an incoming headache, it definitely wasn't the kind of pain that would last.

"Maybe we should stop playing volleyball for a bit... Anybody want to play suikawari now?"

* * *

So the day continued, the group of teens splitting watermelon, having seashell hunts, dunking each other into the ocean, and having intense volleyball matches that usually ended up in somebody getting hurt on accident.

As the sun was setting, Marry puffed out her cheeks, tugging on Seto's arm as he talked to Haruka about his part time job at the pet store.

"Seto, you promised you would teach me how to swim!" Marry reminded him once he finished his conversation, and Seto sighed, smiling down at her.

"Alright, a promise is a promise," he said, taking her to the ocean and leading her out a bit farther than she had traveled during the day. Once they were at a good enough distance, Seto started to demonstrate to Marry how to swim. "You should keep your feet above the water when paddling, and move your arms," Seto mimicked the arm movements for doing the front stroke, "like this."

Marry nodded, and as Seto helped her float and stay in place, Marry practiced making the movements. After a few trial and error of her practicing the swimming movements, she beamed up at Seto, who smiled back at her just as brightly.

"You're getting better! Try to swim around a bit to get the feel of it," he suggested.

Seto let go of Marry, and although her movements were a bit sloppy, she managed to swim for a short time, the water splashing up around her as she kicked her feet. Once Marry was used to the swimming, she looked back at Seto, who was busy trying to fend Kano off from a sneak attack. Wanting to impress Seto, Marry dived under, her swimming getting better as she started to swim towards the bottom. _If I can swim under Seto and then appear right beside him, that would surely scare him!_ she thought excitedly, instinctively inhaling and breathing in the salty sea water.

However, what she had forgotten was that the human body didn't have the organs mermaids have that can turn water into oxygen for them to breathe. Spluttering, Marry tried to cough up the water she inhaled, her swimming movements coming to a halt as she went into a fit of coughing. However, this made it worse, and she started to try to swim back upwards. She needed to reach to the surface, to get air before she suffocated!

Marry started to swim up, but didn't make it far as her leg caught on something. Looking down in panic, Marry realized that she had, indeed, made it to the bottom, and her leg had gotten tangled in seaweed.

_No, no, no!_ Marry thought, her eyes tearing up. _I can't die here! I can't!_

She attempted to close her mouth to keep the water from entering her system, but that failed as she went into another coughing fit, and Marry looked upwards feebly, seeing a figure dive underwater.

_It's probably Seto... I hope he isn't worrying_, she thought weakly, her vision rimming in black as her head grew fuzzy. _It hurts_...

Reaching a hand up to the figure, Marry closed her eyes, an ear-piercing ringing noise in her ears as she gave up trying to swim to the top and sunk to the bottom, her back hitting the soft sand.

_Se...to..._


	8. Chapter 7

By the time Seto had pulled Marry to the shore, he could feel his heart stop. _How could this have happened_, he asked himself repetitively, _as if this was some nightmarish hell_? Marry- sweet, innocent Marry- lied lifeless in his arms, limp, and her face pale, tinged blue. Her hair, which was matted with sand, seaweed, and shells in it, lied in a tangle, the pink ribbon gone, probably at the bottom of the ocean. She didn't move at all, and Seto lied her on the sand carefully and, just in case she had a neck injury, made sure to make it so she was fully on her back.

By now, everybody was in full-out panic mode. Although it had seemed like hours for Seto to reach Marry underwater, he knew it was less than a minute, but even then, everybody seemed to know what had happened, and they crowded the two like they were some spectacle to watch. For once in his life, Seto felt claustrophobic.

"Guys, stand back!" he shouted, his voice bordering hysteria as he tried to remember what to do. Obviously, calling the police was first, but Kido had already had that taken care of, whey-faced and shaky handed. Once, for a lifeguard course a few years back, Seto had learned how to perform CPR. He tried to pull up those memories from his class, and was surprised to realize that he _couldn't remember_. He had paid the utmost attention in that class, so how could he have forgotten every single lesson?

_Calm down_, Seto tried to tell himself, although he was jittery and felt cold all over. Shakily, he pressed two fingers to the inside of Marry's wrist, trying to stay level-headed. Again, he felt his heart stop for a moment, but as he waited for a few more agonizingly slow seconds, he let out a small sigh of relief. Although faint, she still had a pulse.

After trying harder to dredge of the memories of his CPR course, Seto placed his hands firmly on her chest, harshly pushing down two times and counting to three, before plugging her nose, opening her jaw slightly, and breathing into her. After 2 seconds, he got up and repeated the procedure, determined to make Marry survive.

Faintly, as though it was from a distance, he could hear crying, and only after a few moments of genuine confusion did he realize that Momo was crying, in fear of losing her friend. He didn't spare her a glance, and continued on. Press two times. Breathe. Press two times. Breathe.

He placed his fingers on the inside of her wrist, and was glad to see the pulse was there, a bit stronger. He resumed pressing down on her chest with a new found determination. It was working! Any minute now, she would surely opening her eyes and cough up water, right?

As if to answer his prayers, before he could lean down to do more mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, she started to cough up heaps of water, her eyes still closed. Marry turned on her sighed instinctively, coughing up the water, and even when it was out of her system, she still retched, coming back into consciousness and feeling like she was drowning all over again. After a moment, she heaved, throwing up her meager lunch on the sand, her eyes opening finally as she continued to retch.  
After a short while she was able to stop, still coughing every now and then. Her throat felt raw and dry, as if she was on fire in the middle of the Sahara desert, and by gods, she _hated_ it.

Various voices cried out, a mixture of relief, happiness, and tears, and Marry weakly looked over at them. She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a croak, her voice unable to make coherent words.

Seto had started to ask the younger girl if she was alright, but with the sound of the fast-approaching sirens coming towards them, his question was drowned out, and instead, Marry retched a bit more, unable to answer.

After the police and paramedics had arrived on scene to give Marry a check-up and a blanket, the group retired back to the hotel, exhausted from the day's events, especially Marry. A bruise already forming on the side of her forehead from where she was hit by the volleyball, Marry was especially worn out, her eyes drooping slightly as she looked at everything with a weary and somewhat uncaring expression. She hadn't tried talking since the incident- not so much as trauma as it was that her throat just hurt- but that didn't stop the others from talking to her. For the first couple hours they talked to her constantly, hoping to warrant some kind of response, but after a bit they all gave up, only dropping by to check on her every now and then while they horsed around in the pool and ate dinner. It was only Seto who stayed with her, making sure she was alright every half hour.

"You sure you don't want something to eat or drink?" He would constantly ask Marry, who would just shake her head and continue reading, not making any vocal sounds whatsoever. She knew with some tea and a good night's rest her throat would be better, but although her stomach felt empty, she wasn't hungry at all. She didn't feel like consuming anything, afraid for throwing it up. She was absolutely miserable, and hated how the ocean, her _home_, could have done this to her. Her chest hurt, her stomach hurt, her throat hurt, and everything else ached tremendously, as if she had been running a 48 hour marathon.

After another hour, Marry closed her book, startling Seto out of the slight daydream he had fallen into. "I'm... sorry," she managed to say, her voice hoarse. She winced on instinct at the roughness of her voice and throat, and Seto frowned slightly. She needed something to drink after all, and she sounded like she was smoking a pack of cigarettes each day.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Seto shook his head gently, his face softening. "It's not your fault, Marry," he reassured her, kissing her forehead tenderly. Thankfully, Momo and Takane had helped clean her up and get the sand and other objects out of her hair, one less thing for Marry to worry about later. "I'm just happy you're alright now."

Marry smiled sadly, leaning her head onto his chest, before doing something she hadn't done in a while. She cried. Not just plain, ow-I-skinned-my-knee crying, but full out _sobbing_, the kind that came out in large gasps and racked your body. The kind of sobbing you would cry for everything bad that has ever happened for you, and for everybody else in the world. It settled on her like a weight, and she couldn't stop, taking in large gasps of air as fat tears dripped down her face, causing a wet spot to appear in Seto's shirt. She had never felt so much in despair before, as if everything in the world was evil and nothing good would ever happen, and she hated it. She was crying for herself, for what had happened not only with the drowning incident but with her mother's disappearance and Kuroha, and she cried over being stranded in the human world, and over the fact that she had practically abandoned her grandmother to a sadistic, two-faced snake who wouldn't _hesitate_ to kill somebody if he could get what he wanted. She cried over the fact that she had made friends, and the fact that she had never met her father, and for everybody else in the goddamned world, human or otherwise. She wasn't the only one feeling miserable, and as she thought that, it made it worse. Everybody had an individual life to live out, with their own problems and miseries and accomplishments and failures, and she cried for them as well, her fists balling up into Seto's shirt.

"There, there," he whispered soothingly, rubbing circles into her back with his knuckles as she cried, and as he heard her sob, he could feel his heart break slightly. He hated seeing people in pain, and least of all, he hated seeing _Marry_ in pain.

It took nearly 10 minutes for Marry to calm down, and Seto could feel her relax slightly in his arms as her sobs became drier and as she started to hiccup, still drawing in watery gasps. He stayed where he was, sitting on the edge of Marry's bed as he held her, closing his eyes and muttering reassuringly to her, telling her she would be alright and that everything would be just fine. Despite his attempts to cheer her up, something nagged inside of Marry, something that made it so she didn't believe him. In the pit of her stomach, which was sinking faster and faster, she knew that none of them would be alright, and her least of all, because if there was one thing she _did_ remember from when she was drowning in the ocean, it was the way the cool water rushed around and whispered to her as her back had hit the sand. It was evident to her in the waves, the breeze, and the ocean life. _He_ was coming, and she didn't have a clue on what she could do.

She didn't think the others would, either.

* * *

"Ah, how refreshing. I haven't been in _this_ form for a while," a young man said, walking down the beach with his hands shoved in his pockets. Wearing an ensemble of black and grey clothing, Kuroha knew he probably looked weird to bystanders, but he didn't care. He could feel it in his blood that this was the town where he would pick up clues on his _beloved_ princess, the one whom had run away without asking for permission. He found it amusing. The 14 year old girl could have had it all, and could have ruled the whole kingdom by his side with him. He expected her to just say no, and after he would finish playing with her, he would have her locked up eternally in the dungeon with her filthy grandmother. He did not expect, however, for her to escape his grasp, and because of this, he found the whole thing entertaining, his lips curling upwards into a sadistic smirk. He supposed that, once he found her, he could give her one more chance to be his lovely queen before either taking her back by force or, in the worst case, just shooting her. Just the thought made his smirk grown wider as he shivered in excitement, playing with the gun that was hidden in his deep pocket. Unlike _her_, he knew about the human world, knew about the way it worked. To him, she was handicapped.

As he walked, Kuroha looked out at the setting sun, taking in a deep breath of air. He could _smell_ her breezy scent, and although it had a presence in the town, she wasn't here, not now. It was too strong for her to have escaped immediately, which meant that she would most likely come back, so for now he could wait. He didn't know how far she was, and he didn't want to leave the ocean. After all, the closer he was to a large body of water, the stronger and more revived he felt. Anyways, it would be easier to take her back if she was close, and he wanted to surprise her in a place she felt (relatively) safe. He wanted to see the look of despair on her face as he stormed into her hiding place and shot whatever friends she had made. She was _his_ after all, and even if it was still twisted, he loved her and truly _did_ want her to be with him. He would only shoot her friends- if she had even made any- to see the look of utter horror on her face, a delicious emotion if he did say so himself. Just the mere thought of him being able to spill blood made him excited, and he sighed, bending down to pick a string that had been washing down the beach from a stream. No, not a string. A pink hair ribbon, one he had come accustomed to seeing.

Oh yes, he would _definitely_ enjoy the despair and terror that he was going to soon bring to Marry and her new-found friends, and, fingering his gun lovingly, he had just the perfect plan. Shoving the pink hair ribbon in his pocket, Kuroha left the beach, his smirk now stretching from ear to ear, one that lied on the borderline of insanity.

"Good luck... my _queen_."


	9. Chapter 8

"_Marry, run!"_  
_The voice echoed, and Marry's eyes zeroed in on Seto in the white void they were in. He was the only one there- the others were nowhere to be found, although, judging by the panicked look on her friend's face, maybe it was a good thing that they weren't around. Something had obviously spooked the older boy, and she approached him slowly, not wanting to startle him even more._  
_"Seto-"_  
_Interrupting her, a loud _crack_ rang out throughout the white void, and something whizzed right past her. For a moment, Seto clutched his stomach, and she was confused. What had happened?_  
_Her question was answered as she saw blood starting to blossom in sharp, red bursts in the spot where Seto was clutching, and with a brief instinct of horror, she realized something had injured him. She didn't know what- at first she thought it was a knife, but she couldn't see a handle, or anything sticking into him. Just the red blotches that grew bigger and bigger as he fell to the ground._  
_Screaming out his name, she started forward, focused solely on getting help for Seto. Before she could even take two steps, two arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and she froze, not even bothering to turn around. There was no need, because only one person would have done something as vile as this- Kuroha. _  
_"I found you," he whispered, his lips brushing against the tip of her ear as she felt something cold and hard- was that metal?- press against the side of her head._  
Click.  
_Then, everything went black._

* * *

"Do you have everything packed?" Momo asked kindly, looking down at Marry, who was currently sitting down on her suitcase. She nodded, before frowning.

"Actually, I couldn't find my bathing suit. Have you seen it?" she asked, her voice sounding much better than it did a couple days ago, when she had almost drowned. The bruise on her forehead wouldn't go away for a while (that's what Shintaro said, at least), a few weeks at most, but thankfully her throat was much better the next day, and only progressed to being better as the time went on.

"Kido has it packed, don't worry," the taller girl reassured, zipping up her own orange suitcase.

Marry nodded, getting up and standing her suitcase up as she started to pull it along to the (wretched) car. Although her weekend was fun- not including the drowning incident- she couldn't wait to get home and to be in her own bed. It was a long weekend, and the sinking feeling in her stomach never went away, no matter what was going on. She didn't want to burden the others with her troubles, but at the same time, she didn't believe it necessary to keep from them such an important thing. He _was_coming. If there's one thing she was certain of, it was that. If the nightmares weren't a sign, it was the ocean. Every time she visited it over the weekend, words like "danger" and "run" were rushed out in the waves.

As Marry watched Momo leave the room with her two suitcases, the younger girl threw herself back on the bed, feeling slightly exasperated. What could she even do? There were so many possible outcomes to her situation, and a majority of them weren't very idealistic. She _could_ run away, and keep her friends safe, but if there's one thing that wasn't a lie about Kuroha, it was his excellent sense of smell. He was a sadist, and she knew that if she ran away to protect them, he would find them with her lingering scent and kill them all in front of her eyes.

If Marry did decide to tell the others, there was also the problem of them trying to protect her when he came here and dying anyways. Was there any way to win, any way to defeat him? Silver powder worked against mermaids/mermen, but the chance of Marry getting hurt in the process was almost as big as Kuroha getting hurt if they used silver powder, so that was out of the question. There was also the fact that if he got hurt, all he would have to do is go in the ocean and the ocean would heal him… To Marry, it felt as if no matter what, Kuroha was going to win.

The only thing that bothered Marry was why he was coming to get her in the first place? His original goal was to take reign over the kingdom, wasn't it? So why was he after her? Surely, he would know that Marry wasn't somebody who could really fight, and so taking her back to the kingdom was pointless. Unless…

Marry shook her head, subconsciously touching her lips. He was a psycho. There was no telling in what he could do, and for now, she would have to assume the worst when it comes to him.

"Hey, Marry, you coming?"

Snapping out of her stupor, Marry looked at Takane and nodded quickly, rushing after the taller girl to the car with her small suitcase. She wasn't looking forward to the long car trip home, but at least she'd finally be away from this part of the sea, and able to relax fully. That was, in the end, what really counted, right?

* * *

"Marry… Marry, wake up," a voice murmured softly, and the 14 year old girl opened her eyes groggily to see a pair of hazel eyes staring down at her gently.

"Seto..? Are we home, yet?" She asked, her voice slurred from sleep as she stretched slightly, her hands hitting the roof of the car. Unbuckling her seat belt for her, Seto nodded, giving her an affectionate kiss on the forehead as he helped her out.

"We are," he told her. "You slept the whole way, surprisingly, and Momo and I already carried in your two bags for you." He closed the door behind her and helped her into the house, each step waking Marry up just a tiny bit more.

His eyes lingering on the bruise on her forehead, Seto sighed before ruffling Marry's hair slightly. "You go on and unpack while Kido makes dinner, alright? Everybody's going home tonight, so it'll be just us, Kido, and Kano again," he said, and Marry nodded, her eyes still slightly droopy. She was tempted to just go to her room and nap, but she knew that she should unpack first. After dinner she could sleep for the rest of the night, anyways.

"Ahh… I can't believe the weekend is over already," Marry muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes as she walked into her room. As if somebody had just poured ice down the back of her dress, Marry froze, her eyes opening all the way as she became wide awake, seeing everything with such clarity that it scared her. Something was wrong, out of place. There was an aura in her room, one that was never there, and Marry shivered, closing her door slowly. At first, she thought somebody else was in the room with her, but as her eyes scanned the room, she found it completely empty.

Walking around in a few circles, Marry took everything in, trying her best to remember where everything was before she had left. Had somebody broken in while they were on vacation? Nothing was missing, so she doubted that. However, that didn't chase away the cold feeling- in fact, it did the exact opposite, intensifying it to the point where she subconsciously rubbed her arms, her eyes wide in alarm.

Just what was wrong that she was feeling but couldn't see?

Scanning the room, Marry's gaze stopped on the desk, and she felt her lips tug downward as she walked towards it, almost mechanically, to see what exactly was on there. It looked to be a note and a pink ribbon. Was it hers…?

She shook her head quickly. She lost her pink ribbon when she was drowning during the vacation, so it was practically impossible for it to be all the way here.

However, she realized this one held a more weathered look, and with a start, she recognized it as her older one- the one she had when she was still a mermaid, the one she had lost when she was knocked out in the current.

It couldn't be… right?

Her hands trembling, Marry picked up the note slowly, reading it once, then rereading it as if it was in some language that she didn't understand.

_I know where you are_.

It didn't have a signature, and the handwriting was in neat, almost textbook perfect cursive, but that didn't matter to Marry. Only one person could have written this, and the faded pink ribbon sealed the deal.

_I know where you are_.

She couldn't believe this. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stay here forever, and the ocean had warned her of danger, but this soon! She was most certainly not ready to leave yet, but at the same time, she couldn't put her friends in danger. Not for herself.

Tears welling up in her eyes, Marry sat down in the desk chair quickly, clutching the note and crinkling the paper. How could he have found her so soon? How did he know that this ribbon, this faulty ribbon she had gained through a shipwreck, explained where she lived? The ocean was always moving, never still. For all he knew, she could be far away from here, and the ribbon could have been carried here from a current.

Oh, but he knew. He _knew_ where she was, and he could come after her anytime. Hell, he could be here now, so why was he waiting? Did he want to play a game of cat and mouse?

Wiping her eyes angrily, Marry crumpled the paper up and threw it at the wall, watching it bounce once to the floor. It didn't make her feel any better, but she hoped that, if Kuroha was watching, he would see how unamused she was with his "letter". She shouldn't have even been surprised. Marry knew he had an excellent sense of smell, and the ocean only enhanced it even more. She was so close to the ocean that she didn't really have a chance of hiding from him. If she had really wanted to stay away from Kuroha, she should have fled farther into the inlands.

Standing up with a resolve and looking out the window, Marry wiped at her eyes again, a determined look crossing her face. He may be after her, but so long as she stayed one step ahead, he would never get to her.

And for that to happen, she would have to run away.


	10. Chapter 9

As Marry packed her bag hastily, throwing in only necessities, she sniffed, the smell of dinner wafting up to her room. Soon, the others would be calling her down for dinner, and she knew that if she left before then they would find her. She'd have to wait until night time, when everybody else was sleeping. Until then, her goal was to act like nothing was wrong. She didn't want to spook the others, after all.

Sure enough, about 30 minutes later, there was knocking on her door, and Marry quickly picked up the small backpack. "J-Just a moment!" she cried out, and the knocking stopped. Thankfully, as Marry hastily shoved the backpack under her bed, the door never opened. Small blessings.

"I just wanted to let you know that dinner is done," a gentle voice said, and Marry let out a quiet sigh.

"Thank you, Seto. I'll be out there in a moment."

As she heard his footsteps walk back down the hall, Marry sighed once again and glanced at her reflection in the mirror that was perched upon her dresser. She was visibly pale, and her pink eyes were unnaturally wide. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Calm down, Marry," she whispered to her reflection pleadingly. "You can't let the others see you like this. Pretend nothing is wrong."

After a moment, when her skin tone had reverted to it's more normal color, Marry left her room, her bare feet padding down the wooden hallways as she walked to the dining room. Tonight it was just Seto, Kido, and Kano. The rest had gone home, wanting to rest from the excitement-filled weekend. Marry felt a pang of sadness in her heart as she realized she would never be able to say goodbye to them. Momo, Takane, and even Hibiya! Once she left, she would never see them again, along with Kido, Kano, and worst of all, Seto. She felt different towards Seto, and she wanted nothing more than to run into his arms, but if she did that then he would never be safe. If she wanted to keep him safe, she would have to leave him in the dark, just like everybody else.

_It's for the best_, she thought sullenly, sitting down, and Seto shot her a worried look.

"Are you alright, Marry?" he asked, and Marry's head snapped up, before she managed to give the three siblings a shaky smile.

"Yeah! I was just thinking, sorry," she apologized, and Seto nodded.

"Alright, then let's eat!"

Marry followed after Kido and Seto, putting food on her plate. They seemed to accept her answer- however, Kano didn't. He was watching her with sharp eyes, but before Marry could question it, he grinned cheekily, putting food on his plate as well. "Wow Kido, this looks good!"

"Shut up, idiot."

Marry watched the two bicker as she silently ate, Seto joining in to tease Kano or Kido every now and then. It felt like a normal night, and for the three, it was.

However, Marry couldn't force herself to eat when she didn't have an appetite, and she quickly excused herself, telling the others she was tuckered out from the weekend and was heading to bed early.

As Marry closed her door and pulled the bag out from under her bed again, she resumed packing, before giving up and sitting down on the bed and looking out the window wistfully. "Mother... I wish you were here to tell me what to do... am I really doing the right thing?" she murmured, looking up at the cloudless night sky, thousands of stars twinkling merrily without a care. Oh, how she wished she could be a star up in the sky, shining brightly and carelessly.

Getting up and walking to her desk, Marry pulled out a piece of notebook paper and a pen and started to jot down a short goodbye note, telling the others she had left for their safety and that she hoped that, one day, they'd be able to meet again. Reaching in her apron pocket, Marry almost took out some pearls to leave them, but thought against it. She was surprised she found these at the beach the other day, and she knew that they would still be caught up in this mess if she left the shiny pearls with them. She wasn't telling them why she was leaving, or where she was going- the whole letter was vague, and she just hoped that this would be enough to keep them out of harm's way.

"I'm sorry guys..."

_Knock. Knock._

Jumping, Marry quickly grabbed the note and had enough time to hide it behind her back as the door opened, and Kano stepped in the room.

"K-Kano, what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice an octave higher than usual. Her eyes darted to her packed bag, which was on the bed, and she watched as Kano looked at it as well as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Well," Kano answered, "I just wanted to see if you were okay. You didn't seem okay earlier," he said, looking back at her, but Marry could tell that he knew something was up. It was even more evident as he closed the door and leaned against it, gesturing towards the packed bag before he crossed his arms.

"So, what's up with this?" he asked, and Marry could feel her throat dry up as he continued talking, disregarding the cold and tense atmosphere. "You going on a vacation, or are you running away again?"

"I'm not running away!"

The words came out more harshly than she intended, and she had even admitted earlier that she was running away, but when Kano was the one asking if that was her motive, she didn't _want_ to admit it. It wasn't like she asked for this- if she stayed here, they would all be slaughtered!

Kano raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. When Marry didn't, opting to stay quiet, he held out a hand expectantly, his eyes almost all-knowing. The 14 year old felt like he could see right through her, like he knew the whole situation, and she _hated_ it. She silently handed over the hastily written goodbye note, and watched as his eyes scanned it, his lips thinning for a moment before he looked back at Marry, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Slipping the note in his pocket, Kano went back to crossing his arms and spoke again. "So you were going to leave without telling us."

It wasn't even a question, and Marry nodded numbly, confirming his statement as he strode across the room and sat down on her bed. This all seemed slightly surreal, and Marry stayed standing where she was by the dress as he still stared at her, eyes narrowed as if he was waiting for an explanation. And, Marry supposed, she _did_ owe him- and everybody else- an explanation. She had kept him, Seto, and everybody else in the dark for too long, even going so far as to lying to them about most of her situation.

Resigned, Marry sighed, pulling out the desk chair and sitting in it, averting her eyes. It would have been easier for her to tell Momo or Seto, but neither of them were here right now, and she doubted Kano would let her leave without a full explanation. "You want me to explain?" she asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer, but wanting to reaffirm just in case.

Kano nodded, still staring sharply at her. "And don't lie either. I want the whole truth," he demanded, and Marry looked down, playing awkwardly with the hem of her apron before sighing once again, deciding to just get straight to it.

"I was telling the truth when I said my grandmother, Azami, rules the kingdom from where I am from, and it's true that I am the only heir to the throne. My mother died from a group of vigilantes wanting to end our rule, and my father disappeared long ago," she started, unsure of what else to explain, especially with the Kuroha situation.

Getting up and walking to the crumpled piece of paper she threw at the wall earlier, Marry opened it, smoothing it out before handing it to Kano. "This note... It's from Kuroha, the one who I said I was in an arranged marriage with. If he's sending this note, that means he has already succeeded in taking over the kingdom. I, myself, am not sure what his exact plans are, but I do know he's after the kingdom and a power that has been passed down throughout my family for generations," Marry continued on as Kano quickly read the note. She paced around the room, avoiding his eyes as she talked. "My grandmother, Azami, is considered to be Medusa, or at least that's what my mother and the other merfolk had said around the kingdom. Even now, although it has been centuries since her rule started, she looks just like me. She hasn't aged a bit. My mother, though, _had_ aged, although a lot slower, and the ability has been passed down to me, where I have been alive for 140 years. I age 1 year for every 10 years, I suppose."

Marry laughed bitterly, wiping a tear away. "I have reason to believe that Kuroha knows how to gain immortality, something even _I_ don't know. He planned to marry me and to use me to get what he wanted, or at least that is what I assume. He claimed it's because he loved me, but... I know what he is. He doesn't feel remorse or pain, let alone love. He's a soulless monster, one who just wants to see fear and suffering. Once he took over the kingdom, he planned to bring a dark rule, not only executing the rest of the royal family, but executing any rebels that got in his way. I ended up overhearing a conversation between him and one of the palace guards- a traitor, it turned out- and I confronted him about it. He fessed up, expecting me to side with him and promising me that he could give me a life of luxury. However, I refused, and told him that once I told my grandmother he would be done for.

"He didn't like that, not one bit, and he attempted to knock me out, to probably lock me in the dungeon until he had gotten what he wanted. I swam away, not even bothering to let my grandmother know, something I regret now... I guess I was afraid of being caught. I didn't have time to let her know, and if I hesitated I _would_have been caught. Once I got out of the kingdom, I was caught in a strong current. My head... I hit it on a rock, and when I came to, I was human and I was stranded on the beach. My mother and grandmother had sheltered me from this world, but it seems as if Kuroha knows it well, which leaves me at a disadvantage. I didn't want you guys to get hurt, so I thought if I ran towards a larger city he would leave you guys alone... I didn't mean to make it seem like I was abandoning you guys. I swear, I only wanted to keep you all safe!"

Wiping furiously at her eyes to make sure that she didn't cry, Marry stared defiantly at Kano, who stayed where he was, not bothering to comfort her and waiting for her to be able to talk again. A couple moments later and Marry felt a bit better, sitting back down in the wooden desk chair. "I just don't want you guys to get hurt because of me," she murmured quietly. "He'll slaughter you mercilessly, and I don't want that to happen..."

"What makes you think he'll leave us alone if you leave? If he's as bad as you say, wouldn't he kill us all out of spite?" Kano inquired, and Marry's gaze snapped over to him. What's worse, she knew that it was true. Even if she left, Kuroha would most likely kill them all. Wouldn't it be best for her to stay here and help protect her friends? "Running away isn't the answer. You need to tell Seto and the others the truth," he said, and Marry deflated, giving him a pleading look as she opened her mouth to argue against it.

"No. You _have_ to tell them if you expect us to help you."

"Help... me?"

The phrase almost seemed foreign to her, and she blinked back a couple tears, staring at him in confusion. "Why would you want to help me? I lied to you about almost everything, and then nearly left to let you guys fend for yourselves..."

Kano laughed, making Marry jump. The laugh seemed so strange in such a situation, yet it also sounded so natural. What surprised her even more, though, was Kano's reply.

"We're all friends, right? We're not going to hand you over to some creep, especially since we're involved anyways," he joked, standing up and walking to the door.

"You don't have to tell them tonight, but I'll get everybody over tomorrow, and you can tell them then, alright? Don't leave anything out."

Marry nodded, swallowing back a lump in her throat as she regarded Kano with an expression mixed with incredulity at his acceptance and gratefulness for not leaving her alone.

"Thank you... Kano."


	11. Chapter 10

"You've gotta be kidding me," Kido said as Marry finished explaining her predicament to the whole group, and Marry shook her head, her face crestfallen. After a moment of silence- an awkward one at that- Kido started to speak again, unsure of how to go about the whole ordeal. "So you mean to tell us that there's a guy chasing you," she started, "and he wants to kill us all and bring you back to your kingdom?"

Marry nodded in confirmation, although she wasn't sure that Kuroha _actually_ wanted to kill them- it was just something she had assumed.

Rubbing her temples, Kido fixed a stern glare onto Marry, who flinched back and looked down, fiddling with her thumbs. After a moment, Kido sighed, rubbing her temples in an aggravated motion. This was quite the situation that they were all put in- it definitely wasn't the most ideal one. It had only been a month since they had known Marry, but in that short time Kido and the others had grown close to her. She was like a sister to them, and if there is one thing Kido valued more than anything, it was family. Her older sister taught her that, at least.

Bowing down, Marry gripped the hem of her blue dress, her pink eyes lowered in shame that she hadn't trusted her friends sooner. "I'm really sorry for not telling you all! I didn't want to worry you guys!" she exclaimed, her eyes tearing up again. Despite Kano's kind words last night, she was afraid that she had disappointed them, or even worse, that they would abandon her. After all, the risk of helping her was great- for them to help her, they would be endangering their own lives, and she wasn't sure how far friendship went in the human world. However, these worries were blown away when she felt gentle hands rub her back, and she looked up in surprise to see none other than Seto, looking at her with gentle gold eyes.

"Marry," he said quietly, smiling softly at her, "it's alright. You're in a tough position- it's not your fault. No matter what, we'll protect you," he reassured her, and Momo nodded vehemently, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, standing up. "The only one at fault here is that nasty snake, and we're going to take him down!" she exclaimed, making Marry smile slightly as Shintaro pulled at her arm to get her to sit down again.

"Quiet down, Momo."

As Momo and Shintaro argued, Marry giggled a bit, looking at everyone before looking over at Seto. He was right- nobody seemed to have second thoughts in protecting her, especially Seto, and a warm fuzzy feeling enveloped her chest as she smiled weakly. Seto smiled back at her, before ruffling her hair slightly.

"See? No reason to worry."

Marry nodded, smiling happily up at Seto. Before she could say anything else, though, Hibiya interjected himself into the conversation, tired of the idle chatter.

"Shouldn't we start talking about what to _do_?" he asked, and Hiyori nodded, her black pigtails bouncing up and down with her as she smoothed out her pink dress.

"The creep is right. We should probably start making a plan," she agreed, causing Hibiya to cry out indignantly.

"I'm not a creep!"

Ignoring Hibiya's outburst, Kido let out another sigh, leaning back into the couch she was sitting on. "Yeah, we do need to come up with something. You sure that Kuroba is here?"

Marry nodded, stifling a giggle at Kido's mispronunciation. "_Kuroha_, and yes, I'm sure," she said, before reaching into her apron pocket and withdrawing the wadded piece of paper she had thrown at the wall yesterday. "I found this on my desk. I'm _sure_ he is here."

Kido took the note from Marry and opened it up, reading the short note, her face turning grim. "Do you know when he'll act?"

Shaking her head, Marry closed her eyes, her lips tugging downwards. "Soon, most likely."

Everybody got quiet for a moment, trying to scrounge up some sort of idea to either ward off Kuroha or get Marry home safely, until Shintaro finally decided to speak up, his voice hesitant.

"I may have an idea..." he said, leaning forward. As if on cue, everybody else leaned forward, keen on hearing his idea, and Shintaro's voice was low as he started to explain his plan, every now and then stopping as somebody else asked a question regarding it. Soon, everybody nodded, the plan being set and everybody being prepared.

Standing up, Kido met the gaze of everyone. "Then we start tomorrow: operation get Marry home!"

* * *

_"Noo... Nooooo!"_

_Falling to her knees on the sand, Marry watched as Kuroha pointed a foreign, black object, his fingers curled around a lever on what seemed to be the handle of the object at Kido, who knelt down next to the corpse of somebody. At first, Marry couldn't tell who it was- the face of it was mangled and bloody, just a pool of blood and clumps of flesh and hair. However, as Marry's eyes raked the corpse, she recognized the all too familiar jacket- it was Kano._

Bang.

_A loud noise rang out through the air, and Marry could only watch in horror as Kido stopped her crying, before looking down to her chest, where blood started to blossom. 3 more loud 'banging' noises and Kido had slumped over, her face pale and her eyes dull and glassy as her chest rose one last time and stopped. No last words, no final scream. She was dead in an instant._

_"You bastard!" _

_Marry's head whipped backwards as she saw Seto running towards them on the beach. This all seemed wrong- for this much discord and the death of her friends to happen in such a place, a place that was supposed to be peaceful and calm. _

_"Seto, _run_!" Marry found herself screaming, tears streaming from her eyes. She didn't want this anymore. She would go with Kuroha, she would! If only it meant that her friends would not die, that they would continue living peacefully. She couldn't stand watching them lie around her, still and lifeless, as Kuroha laughed manically._  
_Ignoring her command, Seto burst forward, running at Kuroha- it seemed he wanted to punch it, at least that was what Marry assumed as she saw his hand ball up into a fist. However, Kuroha didn't move. Instead he tossed the black object, and as Seto approached, his arm shot forward and his fingers curled around the teenager's neck, quickly lifting him up off the ground as he started to strangle him. Marry watched in horror as Seto's legs kicked, desperately trying to touch the ground as Kuroha squeezed tightly, literally squeezing the life out of the poor boy._

_A couple seconds later, Kuroha dropped him, Seto's body making a loud _smack_ as it hit the thin layer of water that covered the sand. Marry could tell he was dead by the way he lied still, not a single twitch coming from him._

_"S-S-S... S... Setooooo... Nooo...!"_

_Crying harder, Marry gripped her dress tightly as she closed her eyes and wailed, Kuroha slowly walking towards her in a teasing manner, gradually getting closer to the young girl. However, she was unaware and didn't notice. She continued to let out screams of anguish, her eyes shut tightly as she cried, big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Finally, Kuroha knelt down, and her eyes shot open in surprise as a nail raked gently across her cheek, smearing the blood of _someone_ on her face. Falling backwards on her butt, she could only stare at Kuroha in fear, her chest rising up and down rapidly. Striking out her fists, hoping to hit something, Marry opened her mouth to scream- however, it was caught in her throat, and only a squeak came out as Kuroha caught her hands easily with one of his own, grinning widely at her helpless form._

_"For a dream, you're quite scared," he teased, yanking her towards him and causing her to tumble into his chest. He bent down and continued to speak into her ear, his voice holding a bitter edge to it. "However, you've chosen the wrong side. I know where you are now, and I won't let you escape me again, Princess Marry. And when I catch you..." He chuckled, his grip on her tightening and causing her to wince as she tried pushing away from him. "I'll definitely have my fun with you then."_

* * *

Marry woke up with a start, tears streaming down her face. She knew it was a dream, but it seemed so real. Was it a sign to not go through with the plan?  
Glancing at the clock and seeing it was almost 10, Marry quickly got out of bed, shaking her head. He didn't know what they were planning- he expected her to flee towards a large city, away from the coast. That was certainly what _she_ wanted to do- however, she knew that she would be caught if she continued running, so why not face the problem head on?

Still...

_Knock knock knock._

"Marry, are you up yet?" Momo's voice called out on the other side of the door, as energetic as ever. "We need to start getting ready!"

Marry nodded, before remember that Momo couldn't see her. "Yes, I'm up!"

The door creaked open, and Momo walked in with a pile of clothes, her smile a bit strained. However, when she spoke, she sounded as carefree as ever, trying to mask the sadness she was feeling. "I'll help you pin your hair up and get ready," she said, and Marry nodded, yawning. "Sit down and I'll- hey, are you alright?"

Remembering that she had been crying, Marry nodded quickly and wiped her eyes, looking away in shame. "I-I'm sorry. It was just a nightmare."

Momo sighed, sitting next to Marry and starting to brush out her hair as she spoke softly. "Marry..."

"I'm alright, I swear!"

Momo nodded and continued to brush, separating Marry's hair into multiple pieces before taking out a bunch of pins, starting to pin her hair up to the top of her head. "You don't always have to keep things to yourself, you know. We'll always be here for you."

Marry said nothing to this, causing Momo to sigh again as she continued to pin the hair to the top of the 14-year-old's head. However, she said nothing more on the subject and was soon finished, standing up and giving Marry a wistful smile.

"Well, come to the living room when you're finished getting dressed," she told Marry before leaving the room, and Marry could only nod numbly as she changed into the clothes that Momo had brought for her- Kido's clothes.

As Marry walked into the living room, she could already tell there was a problem with the plan.

"Why do _I _have to wear this dress?! It's too outlandish! Make Momo wear it!" Kido cried out as Marry walked in. The green-haired girl was dress in Marry's blue dress, completed with the apron.

"Momo's chest is too big!" Kano sang, twirling around. "However, Kido and Marry both have pancake chests, so it'll be-!"

_Smack!_

Kano twitched on the ground as Kido glared menacingly at him, her hand raised in the air as if to hit him again. "Kano... if you don't shut up, I'll kill you before Kuroha or anybody else gets the chance."

Giggling, Marry smiled at the others. It was nice, everybody carefree before they embarked on a dangerous plan. Is was quite refreshing.

"Guys, that's enough. We gotta go now," Takane said, rubbing her temples at the two's antics. Shintaro nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it's time we leave. He'll most likely be here soon," he told them. Everybody got quiet, before the rest agreed that they did, indeed, need to put the plan into motion.

Pulling the hood up over her hair, Marry looked at her reflection in the window, noticing that the hood hid her hair completely. From behind, you wouldn't be able to tell it's her at all. It was the opposite for Kido, because her hair was shorter and green, but with where Kido was going, the appearance didn't matter.

Only her scent did.

Realizing everybody was looking at her, Marry turned towards them and cleared her throat, her pink eyes large and uncertain. In truth, she didn't _want_ to leave. She was too afraid of the possible outcome, too afraid that they were going to fail. However, her voice caught in her throat, and she was unable to voice her fears. Instead, she cleared her throat again and gave everybody a shaky smile, uttering two words that would ultimately seal her fate.

"Let's go."


	12. Chapter 11

"Oh, I'm gonna miss youuuu!" Momo cried out suddenly, wrapping her arms around Marry as she squeezed her, before picking her up and spinning around with her a couple times.

"A-ah, Momo! Please set me down!"

Complying with the mermaid, Momo gave Marry a sheepish grin and let her go, taking a step back. "Sorry! I kinda lost control for a minute there!" she apologized, causing Marry to giggle a bit at the orange-haired girl's antics. However, Momo's carefree grin was soon replaced, and Marry recognized the glimmer of tears that had started to appear.

"Momo-"

Interrupting Marry, Momo quickly put her hands on her shoulders, her face serious. "Promise, when everything is settled, that you'll come and visit, 'kay?" she quickly said, and Marry nodded, not bothering to admit that she didn't know if things would be settled. There were a lot of loose ends to the whole plan. Marry was hoping to get back to the kingdom and set her grandmother free and set things right before Kuroha got back- if she could make it in time. If Kuroha were to catch her or make it back before her though, Marry doubted that she would even survive, let alone be able to come back and visit. Even if things worked out smoothly, how would Marry be able to come back and visit? It might take years- they might be gone by the time the kingdom is in order again.

However, instead of voicing these thoughts, Marry replied with a simple, "I promise,", before giving Momo one quick hug. After that, everybody else got their hugs in, and the rest of the group exchanged goodbyes, trying to leave on a positive note.

"Do you know how long it'll take for you to save your country- er, kingdom?" Kido asked, and Marry shook her head, frowning slightly.

"Months, maybe years. I don't know. There's a lot that needs to be changed," she replied, and Kido only nodded, before looking at Shintaro, Takane, and Seto.

"Stick with the plan," the 16-year-old started, "and text us if anything happens. We'll get a hold of you when- if- we run into Kureha," she said, and Marry stifled a laugh at Kido's mispronunciation of Kuroha's name again. However, she didn't correct it, and instead gave everybody a closed eyed smile.

Walking outside with everybody else, Marry turned towards the group, bowing slightly in gratitude. "Thank you all! We'll meet again," she said, and everybody agreed, exchanging sad smiles with the young girl. However, Marry took no notice of it, and with one more wave, she made sure her hair was tucked snugly into the hood and started to walk away with Shintaro, Takane, and Seto in tow.

As they walked further away and towards the beach, the four of them started to discuss the plan again, double-checking to see if they had remembered everything.

"Kido, Kano, and Momo are heading away from the ocean to hopefully draw Kuroha towards them, since Kido is wearing Marry's dress, and therefore smells like Marry," Shintaro started, and everybody else nodded, listening to him, "and Haruka, Hibiya, and Hiyori are staying at the house, just in case something happens."

Takane adjusted the headphones around her neck and sighed, shoving her hands into her pockets. "That is correct."

"Once we get to the ocean, Marry, you must get in. You can't hesitate, because he could be here any moment," Shintaro continued, and Marry nodded, sighing as well. "Just in case something happens- do you have the package I gave you for the contingency?"

Marry didn't know what a contingency was- she was sure that Shintaro had mentioned it being a back-up plan, but she wasn't paying attention. However, she knew what he was talking about concerning the package, and she reached her hand into pockets of Kido's jacket, her fingers brushing against a smooth, thin surface.

"Yes, I have it."

As they continued down to the beach and Shintaro continued to talk, making sure everybody knew what exactly they had to do in the case of an emergency, Marry closed her eyes, the scent of the ocean filling her nostrils and calming her. However, lying under that wave of calmness was something else, something she couldn't exactly place, and it unnerved her. Was the ocean trying to tell her something?

Resting a hand on her shoulder, Seto looked down at Marry in concern as he watched her close her eyes and exhale shakily. Was she scared? "Marry, are you alright?"

Looking up at him, Marry nodded once, before averting her pink eyes to the distant outline of the ocean which got larger and larger with each step they took. "Yes," she said, keeping her eyes on the ocean as she frowned slightly. "I'm nervous, though. I don't want you guys to be hurt because of me..."

"Marry, look at me."

Jerking her eyes back towards him at his serious tone, Marry looked up at Seto, his eyes warm and calming. She didn't say anything, she only stopped walking as Seto placed his hands on her arms, crouching down slightly so they were at eye level. "Marry, if we get hurt, it won't be because of you," he told her gently, and Shintaro and Takane stopped walking as well, only looking back as Seto chastised Marry softly. "It's not your fault that this happened- you didn't ask for this. None of us will get hurt, okay?"

After a moment of silence, Marry nodded, her eyes tearing up slightly, and quickly she wiped at her eyes, not wanting to cry yet again.

"He's right. Everything is going according to plan," Takane reassured Marry, holding up her phone. "Momo texted me. They've already reached the spot where they are supposed to attract Kuroha to," she said, and Shintaro let out an indignant cry.

"She's my sister, why didn't she text me?"

Ignoring Shintaro's cry of frustrating, Seto and Marry nodded, both of them showing signs of relief on their faces. "Let's go, then," Seto said, taking Marry's hand and pulling her along gently as they all started towards the beach again.

Using her free hand to search the pockets of Kido's jacket once again, as the four of them walked on the soft sand and towards the ocean, Marry drew out four small beads, shiny and white, and she stared at them intensely for a moment.

No, not beads. They were pearls.

"Takane..."

Reaching over and tugging Takane's sleeve to gain her attention, Marry took the 19-year-old's hand and enclosed the pearls in them, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. "The ocean left these to me when we were on our vacation," Marry started, her voice low as to not attract the attention of Seto and Shintaro. "In case something happens, use these. If you eat one pearl, it will allow you to breathe underwater. The time is unlimited- however, once you take a breath of oxygen, it'll wear off, so you'll have to swallow it underwater," she explained.

Confused, Takane put the pearls into her pocket, only to ask the young mermaid, "Why me?"

Marry glanced over at Seto and Shintaro as they talked, before looking back at Takane, lowering her gaze to the ground. "You're the oldest, right? And... I trust you with these. Only use these in an emergency though," she said, and Takane nodded, not even having time as Marry walked away and towards the ocean. The albino took the slightly large converse off, enjoying the squishy sand beneath her feet as she walked closer to the water, crouching down to put her hand in it as they all idly chatted, waiting to receive a text saying that Kuroha was spotted. Marry had already described his physical description to them- he stood out even in the merworld, so she doubted they would have a problem spotting them. However, he should have caught up to them by now, so where was the message?

"Takane, any texts yet?"

Takane shook her head at Shintaro, who only sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair, checking the time on his watch as they waited some more. "We might have to go with our back-up," he said after a few moments. "Get into Takane's car and drive to the next port town."

Marry shook her head, placing her palm flat on the sand as the cool water brushed over it. "We should wait some more..."

Seto gave Marry a concerned look and walked over towards her. "Is everything alright? You seem in a daze."

Shaking her head to clear her mind of any second thoughts, Marry nodded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Yeah. It's just... the water feels so chaotic. It's never felt this bad before..." she explained, before murmuring under her breath, "Just what is going on down there..?"

Squinting her eyes shut, Marry became aware that everybody else had stopped talking as she concentrated on the water. She was certain the ocean was trying to tell her something, but it seemed to murky for her to actually understand.

"Ah!"

Standing up quickly as the warning became crystalline, Marry looked at the others in alarm, her eyes wide in fear as she felt an overwhelming presence nearby, one that she had known for years.

"Marry, what's wrong?" Takane asked, taking a step forward in concern, but Marry shook her head, taking a step away from everybody. For a moment, she couldn't speak- she only had a sense of overwhelming fear weighing down on her, causing her to want to curl up under a rock and cry. Her mouth felt like dry cotton, and when she tried swallowing her throat made a dry clicking noise. She couldn't even speak.

"Marry?"

Seto, too, took a step towards her, and finally Marry broke out of her reverie, gasping as she found the nerve to speak again. "He's nearby!" She told them, her hand subconsciously grabbing the small packet in her jacket pocket as her eyes darted around frantically. "Kuroha, he- he must have seen through the plan! He'll be here any minute!"

Being the first to take action, Shintaro started to speak, trying to stay calm in the situation. "We all have to go to Takane's car right now the-"

"No."

Everybody turned to face Seto, who's fists were clenched tightly. However, he wasn't angry- far from it. Worry was written all over his face as he glanced first at Marry, then at Shintaro and Takane. "Something went wrong on Kido's end- you two go meet up with them and see if they are okay. No matter where we go, Kuroha will follow us. I'll distract him while Marry goes back into the ocean," he hastily explained, and for a moment, it looked like Shintaro wanted to argue- however, he knew that didn't have the time, and instead he grabbed Takane's wrist, leading her away and not even bothering one last goodbye.

"We'll send you a text when we catch up with them!" Takane managed to shout out before her and Shintaro left the beach and disappeared. Now it was only Seto and Marry, and Marry knew she had to leave, but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to leave Seto at the mercy of Kuroha.

"Seto-!"

"No," he said quietly, pushing her gently towards the ocean. "I'll be fine. You have to get back to your kingdom, though. Are you sure you know how to turn back into a mermaid?"

Marry nodded but resisted against him. "Yes, I remember. I can't leave you with... with him though!" she exclaimed, and Seto sighed, stopping his efforts and giving Marry a quick hug and a peck on the forehead. Crouching down to her level once again, Seto gave her a soft smile, succeeding in calming her down.

"I'll be fine," he reiterated, pressing his lips to her forehead once again and wiping her tears away gently with his thumbs. She stared at him for a moment before deciding that he was telling the truth, and she threw her arms around him, burying her face into his neck.

"I'll miss you," Marry whispered, and Seto sighed, hugging her too, for a moment, before gently prying her off of him.

Standing up, he helped Marry up as well and ruffled her hair slightly, the smile never leaving his face. "I'll miss you too, Marry. Now go back home. We'll meet again soon, I promise."

Nodding, Marry smiled at him and replied, "It's a promise," before turning towards the ocean and preparing for her departure. However, before she could even take one step, she heard footsteps behind them and froze, the air growing thick with tension. On instinct, Marry felt a shiver crawl up her spine, and she slowly turned around, hoping it was just her paranoia, that there was nothing else there.

"Now where do you think you are going?"

Pink meeting a vivid yellow, Marry couldn't help but stare in shock as she stared at the all-too-familiar figure that leered at the both of them, dressed in all black and grey. The person only grinned manically at Marry's reaction, and she found that she could only take a step backwards, her foot sinking into the wet sand as his name escaped her lips in a soft whisper.

"Kuroha."


	13. Chapter 12

"Kuroha."

As soon as the name escaped from her lips, Marry's vision was blocked from him. Seto, sensing the threat, immediately stood in front of Marry, a scowl on his face as he glared at Kuroha, weary of what could possibly happen. He was right in sending Takane and Shintaro away- if anything were to happen, he'd be glad that he was the only one to get hurt. However, his first priority was distracting Kuroha long enough for Marry to escape.

"Marry, _go_," Seto muttered urgently, but Marry stood in fear, her eyes wide and doe-like as she stared at her former betrothed in fear. If it weren't for Kuroha looking at the two so menacingly, then Seto would have shoved her (gently, of course, for he wouldn't want to hurt her) towards the ocean, but he feared that if he turned his back to Kuroha, that he would be dead within seconds.

When Marry didn't respond, Seto averted his attention solely to Kuroha, hoping that she would get the drift soon enough. "How did you know we were here?" He asked, and Kuroha laughed, grinning insanely at the two as he took another step towards them. Seto tensed, his eyes flickering towards the dark gray object that Kuroha was holding. Peeking around Seto, Marry herself didn't recognize it, but Seto did and he tensed up even more, causing Marry to feel nervous.

"Your plan was clever," Kuroha said lazily, stopping 10 feet from them, "but once I realized you were not with the others, I disposed of them and came here right away."

Gritting his teeth, Seto bit back the words that rose in his throat- he didn't want to provoke Kuroha, but he knew that losing his head wouldn't help their situation. Instead, he asked through gritted teeth, "What do you mean, 'disposed' of them?"

Not answering, Kuroha let out another harsh laugh, his eyes glittering like he won the lottery. He was enjoying this- seeing Seto at war with himself and the worry on his face, seeing his beloved Marry there, frozen with fear but shaking like a leaf.

Not liking the laugh, Seto attempted to shove Marry back behind him. "Marry, you need to go _now_. I'll distract him while you escape."

Marry didn't respond and kept her eyes on Kuroha as if she was in a trance, too afraid to move her gaze elsewhere in fear that he would kill her.

Snorting, Kuroha pointed the object at Seto, amusement dancing in his eyes. "What, do you really think you can hold up against a gun?"

Seto said nothing, and Marry, recognizing the 'gun' from her dreams, finally snapped out of whatever daze she was in and tried to glare at Kuroha as she stepped out from behind Seto. However, once Kuroha's eyes landed on her, her glare faltered and she was sure that she looked more terrified than anything by the way Kuroha snorted.

Finally back to herself, Marry found herself shouting, "J-just leave us a-alone!" in a shaky voice, causing Kuroha to laugh again, the gun still trained on Seto.

"Why? I'm having fun."

For a moment, Marry felt fear start to choke her again. She was scared, so scared. She was scared that he would drag her back to the kingdom, and she was even more scared that he would kill Seto to do it. Even if it wasn't needed, he'd probably kill Seto just to make a point to Marry, or as he said, for _fun_.

Pushing back her fear, Marry tried to put on a brave front, knowing that if she gave up now, then her fears would come true. "I-I won't be going back with you."  
Stammering out that simple phrase, Marry almost took it back as the amusement finally left Kuroha's face and his smile dropped. Anger kindled in his eyes, and she couldn't help but shiver again, regretting what she had said.

However, that scowl was quickly replaced with a cocky smirk again, and Kuroha lowered the arm holding the gun, surprising both Marry and Seto.

"How about we make a _deal_, Princess Marry," he said, and Marry eyed him wearily, staying silent for him to continue. "If you come back to the kingdom with me _willingly_, I will spare this pathetic human."

Seto opened his mouth, ready to protest angrily- Marry had other plans, however, and instead started to walk past Seto and towards Kuroha slowly, shaking slightly.

"Marry!"

Looking back at Seto, Marry gave him a shaky smile, unable to hide the amount of distress she was feeling. "I'll be alright," she told him before turning back towards Kuroha. Once she was within arm's reach, Kuroha pulled her close to him and wrapped an arm around her waist, his smirk growing wider as he pointed the gun at Seto again.

"You're so naive, Princess Marry," he cackled, "although since you came to me willingly, you'll get a reward later."

Wincing in disgust, Marry reached into her pocket and withdrew the packet Shintaro had given her earlier. Finally working up the courage, Marry opened the packet and flung the contents at his face, letting out a hiss of pain as some of it came intact with her hand and arm.

Screaming, Kuroha dropped the gun and stumbled back, holding his face as the silver powder ate away at his skin and blinded him. He attempted to grab Marry again with one hand while holding his face with the other, but she stepped back quickly and he grabbed nothing but air, unable to sense where she was due to the pain.

"You bitch!" he managed to screech, attempting once again to grab her- however, she stepped out of reach in time.

"I'll never go with you," she finally hissed at him, and Seto, quick to act, grabbed her arm and began to run down the beach with her in tow, both of them looking back once to see Kuroha clutching his face in pain.

As Marry tried to keep up with Seto, he gave her a side glance, assessing the injuries on her arm. Her skin had turned red from where the powder came intact, and it looked like minor burns, save for her knuckles, which had blistered a bit, indicating a second degree burn. That was the worst of it, though, and Seto was grateful that Marry hadn't gotten hurt as bad as Kuroha had been. He was curious, though- what exactly _was_ that?

"Did you plan that?" Seto found himself asking, and Marry hesitated before nodding her head, panting from the running. He stopped, causing Marry to stop too, and he crouched down. "Here, I'll carry you."

Marry climbed onto his back and Seto hooked his arms around her legs as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. "It was part of Shintaro's emergency plan," she explained after a moment, burying her face into the back of his neck. "Yesterday he asked me if it was true that silver powder was a weakness to mermaids. I told him it burned us, and this morning he gave me a small packet of it."

Seto sighed, still running as the soft sand was replaced with dirt. The only place he could think of that was a good place to hide while he tried contacting the others was an area that was recently being developed. However, due to lack of resources and funding, the construction had been held off, so a lot of the buildings weren't finished. He quickly ran into one of the buildings that weren't finished and set Marry down, collapsing down beside her and leaning against the unfinished brick wall, panting slightly. He reached an arm over and weakly ruffled her hair, giving her a small smile.

"That was very brave of you," he told her, and Marry gave him a tired smile in return, sitting next to him. As she watched him send a text to somebody (she didn't have time to read the recipients before he locked his phone), she subconsciously rubbed her right arm, looking down at it and wincing. It was pink, and her knuckles had blisters on them- that part was the most painful.

_Only a little bit got on me and it hurts horribly... It must be ten times worse for Kuroha. I threw enough at him to permanently blind him and give him third degree burns,_ she thought, frowning. He was _not_ going to be happy once he recovered from the surprise attack, and she did not have any more silver powder to surprise him with.

"He'll be here soon," Marry murmured after a moment, and Seto gave her a surprised look. He saw how bad the burns on Kuroha were himself- he didn't think that he would be recovering anytime soon. Seeing the look of confusion on Seto's face, Marry sighed, a frown tugging at her lips. "He was near the ocean. All he has to do is get in the water and he'll be healed. Same with my arm."

"Ah, I... see," he said, before feeling his phone vibrate. He quickly pulled it out to read the message, and he let out a sigh in relief.

"What is it?"

Smiling at her, Seto showed her the message. "Takane reached Kido's group. They're all fine and never ran into Kuroha. He lied about hurting them," he explained, and Marry smiled happily as well, her anxiety finally calming a bit. Despite the news, though, her stomach started to twist and her face paled, the good news wearing off fast. She didn't even need to say anything for Seto to understand what was wrong, and his smile disappeared too.

"Marry," he said, "you need to go find Takane and the others."

Instantly Marry started to shake her head, her hair starting to come out of the pins that Momo carefully placed that morning. Opening her mouth to protest, Seto put his finger to her lips, his eyes kind. Seeing that look, Marry got quiet again, and Seto removed his finger. Making up his mind, he kissed her softly on the lips, pulling back and resting his forehead on hers as her cheeks turned pink.

"I'll be fine, alright? I just need to rest some more. Now please run to Kido's group, I'll be there shortly," he whispered, and finally Marry nodded, noting the sad look in his eyes. He didn't even seem to believe himself, but Marry believed in him. If he said he would be alright, then he would be alright!

Kissing him on the cheek quickly, Marry stood up and mustered up the best smile she could. "I'll see you soon," she said, and Seto nodded, returning the smile.

"It's a promise."

Turning around, she started to run, not looking back once as she left the compound area and felt Kuroha's presence fade from her stomach. Once she couldn't feel his presence anymore, she slowed down to a walk and glanced back, worry replacing the anxiety. Was Seto alright? Should she have really left him behind? Questions like that raced through her mind. After all, even she knew that Seto was no match up against Kuroha. Be that as it may, Marry had trust in him and felt that he would be fine. He may not be as strong as Kuroha, but Seto was still stronger than the average human, and she knew he would be smart enough to avoid Kuroha anyways.

_Maybe I should wait here for him to catch up_, Marry thought and sat down at the base of a nearby tree, facing towards the compound as she waited for Seto. She still couldn't feel Kuroha's presence, so maybe he went away. She could at least hope. Along with the absence of Kuroha's presence, though, Marry had not yet caught sight of Seto, and she started to worry again. Did something happen? Where was Seto? Inspecting her arm, Marry tried to distract herself by poking the pink areas of her hand and arm, watching them blanch and feeling the slight sting.

_Is he alright?_

Standing up, Marry brushed any dirt on the green jeans off and started to debate on going back to the compound or not. On one hand, Seto had told her to leave and she didn't want to run back into Kuroha (especially not after she pulled that stunt on the beach), but she also knew that it wasn't right to leave Seto all alone back there, especially since Kuroha wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

"Ah... what should I do...?"

Before she could think about it further, she heard a loud _bang_ and a strangled yell coming from the compound, and without thinking twice, she started to run back, faster than she thought was possible for an out-of-shape person like her. All thoughts of following Seto's instructions were lost. She couldn't bear to lose him, she couldn't bare for him to get hurt! If him dying or getting hurt meant her living, she would sacrifice herself immediately for the sake of him. She didn't understand exactly why, except for the fact that Seto was somebody she held closely to her heart. She didn't even acknowledge her other fears, for they were trivial compared to Seto's safety. The thought of losing him scared her the most, and this made her run even faster, entering the compound as she ran towards the place where her and Seto had been resting.

_Please, god... don't take Seto away from me!_


	14. Chapter 13

"Seto!"

Crying out the boy's name, Marry soon arrived at the place where she had left Seto, panting softly at the amount of exercise she had just done in the short amount of time it took to get there.

Looking over where the two had been resting, Marry was relieved to see that Seto was still there and alive, although that relief was short-lived. He was holding his leg in pain, like he had been hurt, and when Marry cried out his name, he had looked up in surprise and... fear?

Taking a step towards him slowly, so as to not scare him, Marry looked at him in concern. "Seto, you're hurt! What-"

Cutting her off, Seto yelled, "It's a trap, Marry! Quickly, run away!"

Pink eyes widening, for a moment Marry looked around wildly. However, nobody was there, and she couldn't feel Kuroha's presence. Nonetheless, there was no mistaking that Seto's injured leg was the work of Kuroha- but where _was_ he?

"He's not here, it's... al... right..."

Trailing off, Marry's eyes widened as she heard footsteps behind her, and she froze in fear. It couldn't be Kuroha though, right? She couldn't feel his presence, so it wasn't possible that it was him! The low chuckle behind her said otherwise though, and Marry started forward, her only focus to somehow get her and Seto out of the situation. In spite of that, she was a moment too late, and she felt an arm wrap around her neck harshly as something hard knocked against her head- a moment later Marry realized that it was Kuroha's gun, pointing right at her as he kept her in a headlock.

Freezing up, Marry felt as if she couldn't breathe. Was this the end? In her dreams, she had seen what a gun could do. If Kuroha pulled that little lever- the trigger?- she would be dead in an instant. She was sure that Seto would follow her death, too, along with the rest of her friends. It all drew back to the gun. Her life was literally in Kuroha's hands. The only thing that bothered her was the fact that Kuroha hadn't pulled the trigger yet. What was he waiting for? Was he going to go on yet _another_ spiel about how she chose the wrong side? Was he even going to _kill_ her, or was this just so he could knock her out and drag her back to the kingdom?  
Interrupting her thoughts, Seto started to shout profanities at Kuroha, still clutching his leg in pain. "Let her go, you bastard! Leave her alone!"

Losing his amusement, Kuroha gave Seto a bored look and pointed the gun at him instead, his eyes piercing the 17-year-old. "Shut up before I finish you off, you pathetic worm," he hissed, before turning his attention back to a scared Marry, who was looking at Seto with pleading eyes. That's when it hit Kuroha, and he grinned again, quickly working to mask the anger he was feeling at the new revelation.

Marry had feelings for Seto.

"You know," Kuroha started lazily, his arm tightening around Marry's throat and causing her nails to sink into his arms, although it didn't phase him. "You could have had it all. You would have been able to rule the kingdom by my side if you joined me from the beginning. I even gave you a second chance back on the beach, before you decided to throw silver powder in my _face_," he said, the alst word coming out as a hiss that made Marry shiver in fear. "But you're not getting anymore chances. This time, you're not getting away, and neither is your pitiable human boyfriend. Once he's dead, I'll take you back to the kingdom, where you will rot in prison with your wretched grandmother before being executed."

Marry dug her fingers deeper into Kuroha's arm, her nails tearing into his skin as tears pricked her eyes. Was this how it was going to end? Seto dead, and her and her grandmother being beheaded?

Humming, Kuroha seemed to think over something, before chuckling again. "But seeing as how I'm a merciful being," Kuroha said as Marry choked back a bitter laugh, "I'll give you one more chance- will you cooperate and come back to the kingdom with me willingly?"

Marry locked eyes with Seto, who was staring at them hopelessly. She could tell that he wanted to get her out of Kuroha's grip, that he wanted nothing more than to beat Kuroha down, but given his leg injury, she knew that was impossible. It was up to her to stand up to Kuroha once again, and she did not have the courage that she had had back on the beach. Her mouth was dry as cotton, and she was shaking in fear as Kuroha leered down at her.

_It's not going to end like this._

Swallowing back her tears, Marry gave Kuroha a defiant look (the best she could, given how he had her in a headlock) and said, "No matter what, I will never go with you."

Marry could feel that Kuroha's grin had dropped once again as the atmosphere grew cold, and she held back a shiver as Kuroha's grip loosened.

"I see," Kuroha murmured, his voice cold as he let go of Marry and turned her around so she was facing him. "You mean it, don't you?" he asked her, and she gave a shaky nod, glaring up at him. This caused Kuroha to chuckle once again, although this time it sounded even darker than before as his grip on her shoulder tightened and made her wince.

"I can't believe this. A mere human somehow is better than me?"

Marry tried taking a step away from Kuroha, but his grip grew ever tighter and Marry winced once again, feeling the area where he was gripping start to bruise. Seeing her face, Kuroha cackled and leaned down so his face was in front of hers, causing her to flinch back. "I guess I have no other choice, then," he then said, and Marry's face finally showed the fear she was feeling.

_Just what... is he planning to do?_

"It's that look of fear, though, that I love to see on you the most, _princess_."

Gripping her chin roughly, Kuroha glanced back at Seto, whose eyes widened, before looking back at Marry and kissing her roughly. Marry, surprised by the sudden change of events and feeling revolted, attempted to push him away, but before she could move Kuroha was already pulling back, a smug look on his face as he looked back at Seto, who had forced himself to stand up despite the ever-growing pain in his leg.

"You.. get away from her _now_," he said, his face darkening, and Kuroha laughed, grabbing Marry's hair and nearly yanking her off her feet. She squealed, her hands quickly going up to grab Kuroha's wrist, but he didn't react- instead, he pointed the gun at Seto, grinning manically.

"It's cute how you think you can fare against me in that condition." Cocking the gun, Kuroha yanked Marry back, causing her to cry out in pain as she stared at Seto, tears in her eyes.

_Seto... no!_

"S...Seto-!"

Unable to finish her sentence, Marry choked back a sob, as Seto leaned against the unfinished brick wall, glaring at Kuroha. His face was blanched, and Marry could tell he was in pain... So why didn't he back down? Did she matter that much to him?

"Why Princess Marry, are you not going to say goodbye to the little worm after all?"

Not even waiting for her to say anything else, Kuroha pulled the trigger and a loud _bang!_ resounded throughout the air, making Marry flinch and stare at Seto with wide eyes as the bullet entered his lower abdomen. For a moment he stood there, his own eyes also widened in shock, before he slowly collapsed to his knees and leaned back into the wall, his eyes still wide with shock.

"No... NO! Seto, _Seto!_ _SETO!_"

Screaming, Marry started to struggle, reaching out an arm to him, but Kuroha yanked her back, finally done playing around with the two.

"He's done for. He'll bleed to death here, and you're coming back to the kingdom with me."

Jerking her around so she was facing him, her feet still barely touching the ground, Kuroha gave her a bone-chilling smirk and leaned forward so he could whisper something in her ear.

"Game over...~"

The last thing Marry saw was the butt of the gun come down towards her head before everything turned black.

* * *

"He isn't answering his phone!"

Biting her lip, Takane looked at the last text that Seto had sent her as Kano tried calling Seto _again_, and showing a rare show of genuine worry, she glanced at the others she was with. Kido, Momo, and Kano, all of whom were panicking pretty badly at the lack of answering.

Kido, seeing Takane's worried look, pulled down Marry's dress slightly. "Do you think something happened on their end?"

Takane sighed and nodded, pocketing her phone. "It's possible. We should go check on them ASAP," she said, and for once, everybody agreed. "_I'll_ try calling him one more time," she then said, quickling dialing the number and putting it on speaker, just in case. However, this time the phone only rang two times before it was actually picked up.

"Guys, he answered!"

Despite that, their victory was short lived as a different voice answered them, causing them all to freeze.

"_Ahaha!_" a voice laughed, and Takane could feel her stomach drop as she furrowed her eyebrows. This voice... "_Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're too late. The worm is dead, and soon the princess will be too~"_

Kano snatched the phone out of Takane's hand, but before he could yell anything, there was a loud crunching sound and the call dropped, leaving them all standing in silence for one moment before Kido uttered two words.

"Let's go."

Once the four had arrived at the compound and searched for any trace of the three, they all found a large amount of blood splattered on the ground and smeared in a trail, seeming like somebody had been butchered and then dragged. Takane could feel bile in the back of her throat, but luckily kept it down.

Following the trail apprehensively, Takane looked back at the others, who were just as pale and sick-looking. None of them seemed to want to go on, but nonetheless they moved forward too, and they all had turned the corner, only to find a figure lying on the ground, blood everywhere.

"Seto!"

They all ran to him, and Takane quickly dialed an ambulance as Momo, Kido, and Kano started to question him. Once she was done giving details, she hung up and joined the others, crouching next to Seto as she examined him. He looked on the brink of death. His face was pallid and both his leg and abdomen area were bleeding quite badly. Judging by all of the blood, she was surprised that he had managed to stay conscious, but even thinking that, he seemed like he was going to pass out any moment.

"I called an ambulance- tell us what happened," Takane demanded.

Momo turned to her, her face nearly translucent now. "H-he said that Kuroha came, shot him twice, then knocked out Marry and took her back to the sea. S-Seto tried to d-d-drag himself after them, but Kuroha was already gone when he made it around the corner," she explained, and Seto nodded weakly, looking defeated.

"I... couldn't... n... save..."

Kido pinched his lips shut. "Quit speaking. You need to save your energy," she told him, but he shook his head, attempting to prop himself up with his elbows. However, he didn't have enough strength and just lied in the gravel, breathing heavily and turning to Takane.

"You have... save... er... please..." he mumbled, his voice hoarse, and Takane frowned. It was most likely that both Kuroha and Marry were already in the sea- how was she supposed to save them when she couldn't breathe underwater herself?

Then it hit her.

_The pearls Marry gave her_.

Reaching her hand into her jacket pocket, Takane confirmed the pearls were still there before she put on a determined mask, standing up. "Kido, Kano, you two stay here with Seto and answer any questions the police or paramedics might have," she ordered, whipping out her phone and shooting a quick text to Shintaro before turning to Momo. "Momo, you come with me."

Momo nodded shakily and stood up, only having time to wave at the others before Takane grabbed her wrist and started to pull her away. Judging by the direction, Momo could only guess that they were heading to the beach, but why? Momo wasn't the best swimmer herself, and she was positive they couldn't breathe underwater, so what exactly did Takane have planned?

"Takane, what are we doing?" she asked, voicing her thoughts, and Takane started to slow down, her sneakers making soft squelching noises as they started to walk, having arrived at the beach.

For a moment, Takane didn't answer, and Momo watched her in confusion as she stared out at the ocean. "We have two others meeting up with us. I'll explain then."

Moments later, Shintaro had joined them, Hibiya in tow as Takane and Momo stood there. Shintaro cleared his throat, and Takane turned around to face them, her eyes sharp.

Looking from his sister to Takane, Shintaro furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I got the message about what's going on, but how exactly are we going to save Marry...?" he asked right away, and Takane fished the pearls out from her pocket, holding out her hand in front of everybody before opening it slowly so the four pearls wouldn't fall out of her grip.

"We're going to save Marry with these."

* * *

**Authors' note: Hey, Ame here! I know I've been updating this story a lot recently- I want to finish this so I can focus on _Haze Daze Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry _and hopefully start up by Wadanohara fanfic soon, but I need your guys' help! This story is nearing an end, and it's up to _you_, my dear readers, to decide which ending to go for! There are three possible endings: The good end, the bad end, and the "true" end. I know it's pitiful for me to ask you guys to help make such an important decision, but I have written out the three endings already and can't decide which. It will be branching off within the next two chapters, so updates will slow until I can choose the correct ending.**

**Thank you all very much for supporting this story though, and reading it up until this part! It means so much to me, and I hope you all continue to enjoy _World Calling_!**


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